Somewhere in Neverland
by rexlover180
Summary: Arthur doesn't want to grow up, but the time to do so is coming all too quickly. But a strange boy at his window could help him stay a kid forever. That is, if he lets him. USUK, slightly based on Peter Pan.
1. Chapter 1

Arthur let out a heavy sigh, looking longingly out of the window in his room. Very few good things came with being orphaned. One of those being that you can stay in the house for as long as you're a kid. The really bad part came once you grew up.

Arthur scoffed, looking up in the sky. He was going to turn 18 in a month or so. That was way too soon. He would have to get a job, a house, live on his own. He would have to grow up. That was far from what he wanted to do… He wouldn't even be out of school by the time he turned 18… So he had to pile schoolwork onto his soon to be hectic schedule…

"I don't want to grow up…" Arthur muttered into the sky through the opened window. It was still a little cold, a few traces of snow everywhere. Arthur's nose was red from the cold, but he couldn't really care less. He just wanted to escape all of these problems, never to turn back.

Arthur waited at the window, as if half expecting the sky to respond to him, like in the movies. There would always be someone there to cheer him up when he was sad. Or maybe go on some adventure. But he was an adult now. He couldn't allow himself to have dreams like that anymore…

Arthur shook his head and started to his bed, which groaned heavily under his weight. Everything in this house was old… He looked back at the open window as his eye lids started getting heavy. His mind was filling with dreams that he knew he would have to sacrifice soon enough. He slowly rested his head on the dusty pillow, not caring he wasn't under the blankets and that there was no heat in the room. That window was just going to have to stay open…

Soon enough, Arthur had drifted into sleep.

* * *

Arthur woke up some time in the middle of the night. He had no idea why, it just felt like there was something in his room. He leaned up on his elbows behind him and saw that the window was still open, the cold wind making it rattle against the wall. He sighed, it was probably just some squirrel. Maybe it could give him rabies and he really wouldn't have to grow up after all.

Arthur let out a small laugh and let his head fall onto his pillow. Like he was lucky enough for that to happen…

"You have a nice laugh," someone's voice said suddenly and Arthur bolted so that he was sitting up in his bed. He tried looking around, but he couldn't find anyone in his room.

"Wh-who's there?" Arthur managed out. Had some murderer made his way into his room through that window? He was 4 stories up, for crying out loud!

The voice let out a small laugh. "No one really does look up, do they?" Immediately, Arthur looked up and saw some sort of shadow in the inky darkness of his room at night. Arthur felt his breath quicken and his eyes widen. He opened his mouth to let out a scream, but the shadow quickly moved in front of him, and something that felt like hands covered Arthur's mouth. He still screamed, but the shadow made it quiet. He tried backing up further on his bed, still screaming, but the shadow kept following him.

"Please don't be scared, I'm sorry," the shadow apologized. Now that he was between Arthur and the window, the moonlight coming in washed over his face, allowing Arthur a simple look at him. He had a young face, probably as young as Arthur, and mildly wild hair with one strand that seemed to defy gravity. And it seemed like he had glowing blue eyes.

What scared Arthur the most about this boy, though, was the fact that he was _hovering_ about a food above his bed. Hovering! Arthur tried to scream again, but the boy's hands were still covering his mouth.

"Why do first meetings have to suck so bad…" the boy groaned, hanging his head. "Please, just stop freaking out," he pleaded, looking up at Arthur with seemingly depressed eyes. "I swear I'm not going to do anything to hurt you."

Arthur shakily moved to shut his mouth. He had no idea why he suddenly trusted this boy, but his face just made him relax. When he proved that he wouldn't scream again, the boy shakily removed his hands and looked at Arthur worriedly.

"Who…who the bloody hell are you?" Arthur managed out quietly.

"My name is Alfred," the boy stated, moving so that he stood on the ground in front of Arthur's bed.

"How can…how can you…fly?" Arthur muttered, breathing heavily in anxiety. "H-How did you get in here?"

"It's a long story," Alfred rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "Basically, all you need to know is that I'm not from here, I'm from somewhere different. I-It's a place where time practically stops, where people never grow up." Arthur widened his eyes at that. Now that seemed appealing, but he couldn't let that on to some complete stranger who broke into his room. "I can fly because of this stuff that…I don't quite have on me…"

"What is this 'stuff'?" Arthur deadpanned.

"I know you stopped believing in fairies a long time ago, Arthur," Alfred kicked his foot at the ground. "But it-"

"How the bloody hell do you know my name?" Arthur demanded, starting to freak out a little bit inside. Alfred winced, like he didn't want to have that come out, like it was an accident.

"Sorry…" Alfred sighed. "I…I've always liked coming here, seeing the kids. I used to be here…a long time ago… I've seen you here since you got here, when you were dropped off at 2, I'm pretty sure…"

"I was…dropped off?" Arthur's voice cracked. Didn't his family care about him?

"I don't know your back story, I'm sorry," Alfred put his hands up in surrender. "Anyway…I've just kept coming every so often to check on the kids. You've stayed here longer than anyone. And…tonight…I heard you fighting with the parents about you turning 18 and having to move out soon. And then…you said you didn't want to grow up. I figured you might want to come with me."

"Come with you?" Arthur scoffed. There was no way he would go anywhere with this strange flying boy who'd been stalking him his whole life and broke into his room! "Where?"

"Where I ran away to," Alfred smiled slightly. "I…I think it's called Neverland. Or…that's what's been passed on to me from some of the older Lost Boys… It's a place to have fun, to never grow up."

"Why ask me to come with you?" Arthur asked. "I'm sure you've heard plenty of people say that. Why do you want to bring me?"

"You've just been the most interesting person here in…a very long time," Alfred smiled slightly. "You're almost 18, but you're still clinging to being a kid. I was the same way. I've been 17 for…actually, I shouldn't tell you that… But, seriously, you are the only person here in years that's fought back, that's wanted to stay and just be a kid. I want to help you."

"I'm not just going to go off with some stranger to a place that sounds like a dream," Arthur scoffed.

"Really?" Alfred smirked, a sudden change of attitude that put Arthur a little bit on edge. "There are a lot of things you'll miss out on. The feeling of flying, having nothing beneath your feet and the wind blowing through your hair. The ability to do whatever you want when you want to do it. Lazing in the sand under the forever sun. Being able to be a do whatever you want for however long you want. True freedom."

Arthur tried not to drop his jaw as Alfred went through the list of things that made this place seem so amazing. But…it sounded just like a dream. That was all it was, all it could be…

Arthur shook his head. "I don't believe in fairy tales anymore," Arthur sighed.

"It's not, Arthur," Alfred said. "I'm living proof. I can fly. I've been there and back multiple times. If you want, you could just try it out once. You won't be gone for very long down here anyway. No harm will be done. You'll be back before morning."

"That still leaves the fact that I'll be trusting a perfect stranger with bringing me to a place come out of a dream," Arthur stated.

"I know you have problems trusting," Alfred slowly pulled a hand up, in front of him, and extended towards Arthur. "But I can assure you, you can trust me. If anything happens to you, I swear I will pay the consequences. You aren't losing anything by just going once."

Arthur stared at the hand for a while, trying to think through what was going on. It was completely insane, just going off on some "adventure" with some person he'd never met in his life. But, just looking into those sapphire eyes in the darkness, he felt something just click.

So, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, Arthur extended his hand and took Alfred's. Almost immediately, Arthur felt a rush of air as he was pulled off his bed and almost all the way to the window. He opened his eyes and looked at Alfred in wonder, only to find that the moon light was resting just perfectly on his face so that his smile seemed almost…magical.

"One night," Arthur said, looking away and blushing slightly. "This does not mean I trust you in any way."

"Right," Alfred laughed lightly and easily stepped out of the window, hovering slightly. "So, since I don't have the flying stuff, you've got to really pretend you're trusting me and let me carry you to Neverland."

"Carry me?" Arthur sputtered, reeling back slightly, still holding Alfred's hand, though.

"Only way this'll work," Alfred shrugged. "Like I said, if anything bad happens, I will be fully responsible for it."

Arthur closed his eyes, exhaling deeply, before he nodded. "Alright, fine."

"Ready?" Alfred asked and Arthur nodded. Soon, he was tugged out of the window and closed his eyes tightly when he didn't feel the ground or movement around him. All he felt was Alfred's arms around him as he pressed him to his chest. "Don't worry, I got ya."

"Just shut up and move before I change my mind…" Arthur grumbled. He couldn't believe he was doing something like this. When he was only a month away from becoming an adult…

* * *

**Woot! New story! I'm so sorry to you all, taking this long to come back. That story for my friend took FOREVER and now I'm really happy to be back! My updates will we once a week, usually on the weekends. A lot different from my usual, but that's because this new writing style I'm trying out takes a while, and I'm writing three stories right now. This one, "Swapped" another USUK fanfic, and a real novel. Anyway, I'm back and I can't wait to keep writing for you guys!**

**Please review! I know this is a little weird at this point, but I'm going to explain the whole layout of Neverland as it is now. Because this is quite a few years into the future from the movies (it's in the present day, omg) and a little different. But do please tell me if you like the beginning or not!**

**And the title for this is based on the song "Somewhere in Neverland" by the band All Time Low. You should seriously check it out! It's amazing!**

**And I don't own Hetaila, Peter Pan, or All Time Low!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Second star to the right and straight on 'till morning."

That was what Arthur had been told when he asked where they were going. At first, he was confused, and he just had to hang onto Alfred for dear life as they flew hundreds of meters over London. They had switched his position so that he was basically slung over Alfred's back, his arms circling around Alfred's neck. Eventually, though, Arthur saw the stars that Alfred was talking about. They were probably the brightest things in the sky, other than that moon. Oddly enough, they seemed to be coming closer as they moved.

As the second star to the right got closer, Arthur had to close his eyes to make sure he wasn't blinded. It was only a few seconds before he heard Alfred laugh and tell him, "Open your eyes."

Arthur slowly did as he was told, surprised slightly that the light of that star was no longer around him, rather the light of day. But that was impossible. It was nighttime back in London. Where did they go?

"Wh-where…?" Arthur thought out loud, looking around them. It was a nearly cloudless, light blue sky stretched in all directions. The only thing he could see around them was an endless ocean. But, then he saw the island.

It was fantastically lush and green, which was surprising, considering it was winter back home. A golden beach stretched all around it, serving as a border. There were a few smaller islands scattered around it. It seemed like there was just too many things on the island to see at once, and it was a little too much to take in.

The wind blowing through Arthur's hair picked up speed and it looked like they were racing faster towards the island.

"Welcome to Neverland, Artie," Alfred said happily as Arthur held on tighter so he wouldn't fall.

"This is the place you were talking about?" Arthur tried to look around more, but soon they were even with the trees and soaring above them. He could have sworn that he saw a waterfall ahead of them and a wonderful rainbow just overhead.

"Told you I wasn't lying," Alfred said smugly.

"Shut up, you," Arthur scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"You know, you're the first new person here in years," Alfred laughed and randomly dove into the trees, making Arthur let out a yelp. "I'm sure the others will be excited to see you, too."

"O-Others?" Arthur asked, dreading that word. There were others here? Were they all like Alfred? Oh, God, please, no…

"Yeah!" Alfred said chipperly. "I mean, I don't live here alone, that would suck!"

"Right," Arthur slowly nodded. Alfred was weaving easily through the trees, like he had so much practice with them and Arthur allowed his grip to loosen slightly when he could see Alfred knew what he was doing.

Which turned out to be a mistake.

Almost immediately, Arthur felt something grab onto both of his ankles and yelped once more as he was basically pulled off Alfred's back and then left to hang upside down in midair.

"Who the hell is this?" a new voice cackled near Arthur as he tried to make sure his nightshirt still covered his torso.

"He looks funny," another voice teased above Arthur. Finally, he looked up to see who was holding him and found a boy, probably a little younger than him with chocolate brown hair, bright green eyes and incredibly tanned skin. He started laughing at Arthur and two other voices joined him.

"Oh, he does not look that bad," another new voice chimed happily and Arthur nearly grimaced. It was French. Arthur looked around at the other voices and saw two other boys, the same age as the first, hovering at about the height Arthur was being held at.

One of them had snow colored hair with ruby red eyes and oddly pale skin for someone who apparently lived on an island. And the last one Arthur would have considered a girl, if it weren't for the slight stubble lining his chin. He had shoulder-length blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was tan, too.

"Guys, what the hell?" Alfred finally came in and Arthur never thought he would be so happy to see him. "He's mine."

"Y-Yours?!" Arthur snapped at him.

"Ah, we're just having fun, Al," the albino laughed and Arthur noticed that he had a slight German accent.

"I have to admit, you picked out a nice one," the French one laughed. "Except for those massive eyebrows!" And this led the group of three to start laughing uncontrollably.

"Oh, shut up, Frenchie," Arthur glared at him.

"Dios Mio, he's British," the one holding Arthur up laughed.

"Guys, just let him go," Alfred groaned.

"Okay," they all said at the same time, which made Arthur freeze. Very promptly, the person holding his ankles simply let go, causing Arthur to start falling. He let out a scream, half expecting to wind up landing on the ground below.

He did land on something hard, but it let out a splash as he hit it and he felt himself sinking into it. Oh, great, it was water. That was worse than the ground…

Immediately, Arthur struck out in all different directions, trying to get himself to breach the surface. But he was never really good at swimming, and so he could practically feel himself sinking. Eventually, though, he felt someone's hands grab onto his wrists and then he was pulled up, out of the water. Well, at least his torso.

"Sorry about them," Alfred said sheepishly. "They like to mess around sometimes."

"Mess around?" Arthur sputtered. He was lucky he didn't try to take in a breath while he was under. He looked around at where he was at, only seeing dark jungle in all directions. He apparently landed in some sort of small pond somewhere in the middle of the island.

"So, can you not swim or something?" Alfred asked. He was in the air, holding Arthur up, and he slowly started dragging him to the edge.

"Of course I can bloody swim!" Arthur snapped at him and, right when he got to the edge, he clambered out as quickly as he could. "It just caught me by surprise is all…"

"Right," Alfred nodded slowly, obviously not believing him. "Sure." He landed on the ground right next to Arthur.

"You know what? I want to go home," Arthur grumbled, standing up slowly.

"What?" Alfred asked, his eyes going wide with disappointment.

"You told me I could go home whenever I wanted to," Arthur glared. "And I believe I've seen enough."

"You haven't even given it a fair shot!" Alfred let out a small laugh. "Come on, one good look at the island and then you can decide. I promise Neverland doesn't disappoint."

"Alfred, I just want to go home," Arthur sighed. "I have a lot of things to get done."

"You have way too much on your plate!" Alfred tried. "You could at least forget about it and relax for a while! Trust me, you haven't missed anything so far."

"That's because it's bloody nighttime back in London!" Arthur groaned. "You were the one who said I could leave anytime I liked."

"And you can," Alfred smiled. "Once you actually take a look at the island and try to have at least a little fun."

"Alfred, I don't have time for things like this anymore," Arthur sighed. "I know you don't want to, but I need to grow up. You're just being childish."

"Because I'm still technically a kid!" Alfred laughed. "Look at me! Look at you! You're supposed to be a kid for as long as possible. Let yourself relax and have fun. I've seen plenty of adults that make sure they have time for fun."

"Not any I've seen," Arthur scoffed.

"One day here," Alfred held up one finger. "That's like nothing in your world. And then you'll be allowed to say if you want to go back home or not."

"How do I know you're not lying this time," Arthur stated.

"Uh…" Alfred rubbed the back of his head for a little and then he held out his right hand, extending his pinkie only. "Pinkie promise?"

"Alfred, I'm not a child, that doesn't work on me," Arthur rolled his eyes, shoving the hand off to the side.

"Here, you are," Alfred stated. "And here, we play by the rules of kids. By their standards, this is a binding contract," Alfred held out his pinkie again.

"Still not good enough," Arthur shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Fine," Alfred sighed. "How about this and a promise? If I'm lying to you right now, then I'll go back to London with you. And I'll stay there and grow up."

"You're really willing to bet that?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Why else would I say it?" Alfred laughed.

"Alright, fine," Arthur sighed and linked his pinkie with Alfred's. "One day."

"Sweet!" Alfred jumped up and down excitedly before grabbing onto Arthur's wrist. "First stop, the beach!"

"Wha-" Arthur didn't even have time to react before he was being lugged through the forest by Alfred, who was running far too fast for him to keep up with.

* * *

**Sigh, this chapter really did not want to be written... Oh, well, it's done and it's uploaded! And we've gotten our first glimpse at Neverland from Arthur's perspective. And the Bad Touch Trio is here, too! Who else is here? Well, I know that, but you'll just have to wait to find out!**

**Please review! It's totally awesome and it keeps me happy and writing!**


	3. Chapter 3

"I don't see what can be so impressive about a beach," Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, trust me, I'm pretty sure it'll blow your mind," Alfred chimed happily, still running while pulling Arthur with him. Suddenly, though, he stopped and Arthur could hear the sounds of waves crashing in the background.

"What, did you change your mind?" Arthur scoffed.

"No, I just came up with a great idea," Alfred turned to Arthur, revealing a devilish smirk.

"What?" Arthur couldn't help but step back a little, hoping to get away from Alfred.

"Oh, come on, it'll be fun," Alfred laughed and jumped up so that he flew over Arthur and easily landed behind him. Before Arthur could turn around to ask him what he was doing, two hands covered his eyes.

"Alfred, quit playing around," Arthur sighed, moving his own hands to move Alfred's.

"You take all the fun out of everything," Alfred groaned, fighting to keep his hands covering Arthur's face. "I told you before, you need to act like a kid here, or the magic'll be lost on you."

"There is no such thing as magic, Alfred," Arthur stated pointedly.

"Hey, don't say that here," Alfred whined. "You know, every time someone says that about a fairy, one will die."

"Alfred, there's a reason stories are called fairy tales," Arthur tried to pull at Alfred's hands. "That's all they are, tales."

"Well, aren't you a party pooper," Alfred said casually, starting to walk, which in turn made Arthur start to walk. Eventually, Arthur just resigned and gave up on his sight for the time being, walking with Alfred. "You're saying you don't believe in things like fairies or dragons or mermaids?"

"Is there any reason for them to exist?" Arthur scoffed. "There's no way they can." The sound of the ocean was getting closer and closer. "There is no way something like that could exist."

"How do you exist, then?" Alfred asked. "I mean, the whole idea of humans being created seems pretty far-fetched if you think about it. You can live, just like any other being."

"Congratulations, you actually made some sense that time," Arthur smirked.

"Hey!" Alfred whined and Arthur felt the terrain under his feet change to something soft. They stopped. "Now I'm not sure if I actually want you to see this."

"Well, I don't mind," Arthur crossed his arms over his chest. "It's just a beach, after all, I'm not missing out on much."

"Really?" Alfred asked and removed his hands. The sudden sunlight nearly blinded Arthur and he had to clench his eyes shut before he slowly opened them. At first, all he saw was sand and water, just as he expected. However, as his vision cleared, he saw something else entirely.

The sun was hitting the water just right so that it seemed like it was sparkling. With each wave, some new kind of sea creature or beautiful sea shell appeared and soon disappeared with a new wave. And there was something in the water. At first, Arthur assumed it was a dolphin or possibly a shark. But the more his eyes adjusted, the more he saw that he was completely wrong. They were…women. But…that was wrong. They had some mystical air about them and the way they moved. When they dove to go back underwater, their torsos were replaced with shimmering scales.

"M-Mer…" Arthur struggled to find words for what he was seeing. Alfred calmly walked next to him, an incredibly smug smile on his face. "H-How?" Arthur muttered.

"Hmm…" Alfred hummed happily. "The words 'told ya so' come to mind…"

"But…" Arthur muttered. The mermaids swam closer, sending smiles and waves at the two. Alfred easily sent them a happy wave back.

"We're in Neverland," Alfred placed a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "We play by different rules here." Arthur just stared at the water, mesmerized by these beings who were just fairy tales moments ago. "You know, this is just the beginning. One small part of the island."

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped when someone else started shouting at them.

"Alfred!" a peppy voice chimed. Arthur looked down the beach, towards the voice, even though it was hard to look away from the mermaids, and saw a boy, younger than the others by years. He had a bob of bright reddish brown hair with one little curl that stuck out and bright brown eyes. He was running down the beach, wearing only shorts, waving at the two. "Ciao~!"

"Feli!" Alfred laughed happily, waving back. Feli waited until he was right in front of them, panting from his run, to speak again.

"I heard you brought someone new!" Feli chimed happily, looking up at the two, smiling widely. "Is this him?"

"Well, he is the only new person we've seen in years," Alfred smiled.

"Hi!" Feli bounced happily before wrapping the Brit into an unexpected hug. He was far weaker than Alfred, but he did seem just about as energetic.

"Um…h-hello," Arthur mumbled awkwardly as the boy pulled away.

"My name is Feli, what's yours?" Feli asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Arthur."

"He's already met Francis, Gil, and Toni," Alfred sighed.

"Not the best first impression," Arthur grumbled darkly. He just had a feeling he wouldn't get along with any of that trio.

"Oi! Idiota!" a new voice snapped angrily. Arthur looked beyond Feli and saw another boy probably the same age. He had dark brown hair with a curl, too, but on the other side and higher up and brown eyes. He was far more covered up than Feli. "You don't just run off like that!"

"Sorry, fratello," Feli laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his head slightly. "I just saw Alfred and Arthur and wanted to say ciao."

For the first time, this new comer glanced up at the two and grumbled slightly in distaste. "Hi," he rolled his eyes.

"This is Lovino," Alfred laughed. "You would never believe these two are twins."

"Really?" Arthur asked, staring at the two. They looked enough alike, but their personalities seemed to be polar opposites.

"Yeah," Alfred nodded happily. "Oh, shit. I forgot I was on a timeline here. Sorry, Feli, we gotta go, I have to show Artie around."

"Okay!" Feli said cheerfully. "I was thinking I could go out and play with the mermaids for a little while."

"Whatever works, dude," Alfred laughed, grabbing Arthur's wrist once again and racing down the beach. Arthur let out a yelp when he was tugged with him and flinched slightly at the sand that was flying everywhere.

"Where the bloody hell are we going now?" Arthur sighed, glancing back at where they were. He did slightly want to stay at the beach, watching as Feli happily ran into the water and Lovino was yelling something at him.

"Well," Alfred said, seemingly deep in thought. "I figured we would go to skull rock and then make it back by dinner, where you'll get to meet everybody! And then after sundown, I'm gonna show you the deep forest. And then we'll make a fire somewhere and go to sleep."

"Well don't you have this all planned out," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Yup!" Alfred looked back slightly and started pointing into the ocean. "See that island all the way over there?"

Arthur squinted slightly, hardly seeing a grey rock-looking thing. "I guess."

"That's our next stop!" Alfred said happily, charging towards the edge of the beach. He jumped high up in the air, aided by his flight and tugged Arthur with him into the air.

"Jesus, Alfred!" Arthur snapped, really not liking the feeling of dangling down, just about a meter over the ocean. "You should warn me before you're going to do that."

"But where's the fun in that?" Alfred grinned. "Here," he easily moved and twirled in the air so that Arthur was basically forced onto his back and in turn forced to cling to him. "Better?"

"Sure," Arthur sighed. They were flying rather fast and the gray rock in front of them soon turned into a shape that looked an awful lot like a skull. "Skull rock…"

"Yeah! Isn't it awesome?" Alfred asked happily. They were really close now and Alfred easily swooped into one of the eye sockets, making them go into the nearly pitch black cave. The light from the day made it through in small rays everywhere, giving the place an eerie feeling. There were rock formations lining the walls all over the place that would be a little kid's playground. The water from the sea flooded in, covering nearly half of the floor.

"It's a bit terrifying," Arthur sighed as Alfred landed at one of the top most rocks of the cave.

"Come on, don't tell me you've never wanted to go exploring," Alfred laughed, letting go of Arthur, who stayed standing where he was.

"When I was a kid," Arthur scoffed.

"Well, look at that, you're a kid now," Alfred smirked, jumping down happily so that Arthur couldn't see him anymore. Arthur carefully crouched so that he wouldn't fall and looked over the edge, at where Alfred jumped down to. He didn't stay there long and raced off to some other direction. "What would you do when you were a kid?" Alfred's voice echoed through the whole cave.

"There's no way I would tell you something like that," Arthur scoffed.

"Why not?" Alfred asked, sounding both close and far away at the same time. Arthur simply turned towards the light of the openings and sat down. "I'm showing you what I do as a kid."

"It's embarrassing," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"And kids running around in their boxers at a beach, swimming with bare-breasted women isn't?" Alfred laughed and Arthur fought to stifle a snicker.

"I would…" Arthur looked at the small clouds slowly moving across the sky. "…pretend I was a pirate…"

"I think you'd make a kick ass pirate," Alfred laughed. "You know, I think we used to have pirates here. I mean, we've got a shipwreck, but that's our only proof. That and the stories. Those things are awesome!"

"You lot have a knack for telling stories, don't you?" Arthur smirked.

"I could tell you one right now," Alfred offered.

"Why not?" Arthur sighed.

"Alright, here it goes," Alfred said happily, but his tone suddenly changed dark. "It was back with the original lost boys. Their leader went up against the fierce Captain Hook, leader of the pirates. Legend says he had his hand chopped off and fed to a crocodile, who gained an affinity for his taste. So, the lost boys leader used that to his advantage every time he went up against him. However, this one time, on a stormy night, the leader's plans turned south."

For some reason, a shiver went up Arthur's spine, and he shook his head. It was just the setting. A spooky cave in the form of a skull? A perfect place for someone to tell a scary story.

"He was going to sneak onto the pirate ship and steal all of Captain Hook's clothes," Alfred stated and Arthur scoffed and rolled his eyes. How childish. "However, they seemed to know he was coming and snatched him right up once he got onto the ship. They tied him up."

That piqued Arthur's interest slightly.

"Captain Hook came out, looking all smug. He always hated the lost boys, especially the leader. And now he was in the palm of his hands. And so, Captain Hook put his hook to the neck of the leader and he…"

By now, Arthur was leaning forward, excited for what was to happen next.

"Slit his throat!" Alfred suddenly yelled in Arthur's ear. Arthur let out a scream (which he will never admit to anyone) and flinched so much that he fell forward, where he was previously leaning. Luckily, he landed on a very large, very flat bed of rock, but he swiftly looked up at Alfred to glare at him. Alfred was laughing so hard, he had to lie down on the rock or he probably would fall, too.

"You bloody twat!" Arthur yelled at him.

"Oh, my God, that was awesome!" Alfred gasped amidst his laughter. "You-You were so into it!"

"You are such a child!" Arthur seethed. "Was that bloody story even true?!"

"Pretty much," Alfred shrugged, still laughing slightly. "It's been passed down for a while, but no one really knows what happened in the end. Guess it's a mystery."

"And you don't even know the name of the bloody character," Arthur scoffed, sitting cross-legged on his new rock.

"Oh, come on, quite being so stuffy," Alfred flew down next to him. "Be a kid again! Let's have a sword fight!"

"With what?" Arthur looked away from Alfred. Not that he would actually consider sword fighting the twat…

"You really don't remember being a kid, do you?" Alfred sighed. "Come on," he floated in front of Arthur. "You take your hand like this and pretend there's a sword sticking out." He lifted up his right hand, his fist clenched around nothing.

"What kind of idiotic game is that?" Arthur rolled his eyes.

"A fun one," Alfred rolled his eyes. Suddenly, his voice changed to that of a pirate, becoming slightly scratchy and with some horrible try at a British accent. "Come on, ye matey! Before I slice off yer throat! Arg!"

"Slice off my throat?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Aye!" Alfred pointed his imaginary sword at Arthur's face. "I'll do it, too!"

"With the air?" Arthur asked bluntly.

"Arg! Don't be a party pooper!" Alfred kept up the accent, even though Arthur was staying unamused.

"Pirates didn't talk like that," Arthur sighed.

"That's it!" Alfred slurred awkwardly and swiftly moved so that he was behind Arthur and picked him up by his underarms, flying out of the cave.

"What the hell?" Arthur snapped, looking down at the ocean racing underneath him.

"I'm takin' ye to the brig!" Alfred smirked.

"The brig?" Arthur scoffed.

"Aye!" Alfred laughed.

* * *

**Alfred is becoming so entertaining to write, it's awesome. And of course I had to put in Arthur pretending to be a pirate when he was young. That image itself is just so adorable! And we've met Feli and Lovino! We'll be meeting a lot more characters next chapter, so look out for that!**

**And please review! It boots my self confidence with each word!**


	4. Chapter 4

"This is the brig?" Arthur asked bluntly, staring at Alfred with a look that said "you have _got_ to be kidding me."

"What? Too much for you to handle?" Alfred snickered, pacing back and forth in front of Arthur.

"This isn't even anywhere close to a bloody cage," Arthur looked down at the twigs shoved into the ground around him in a very misshapen circle.

"Well, you were the one you asked for it," Alfred sighed, feigning disappointment.

"By not having a fake fight with the air with you," Arthur rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If it's so easy to get out of, why don't you give it a try?" Alfred smirked triumphantly, like he had already won.

Arthur scoffed and rolled his eyes. This was just too easy. He kicked at one of the twigs, expecting it to fall over or break or something, but it stayed put, stuck into the ground. Arthur looked back down at it for a second before kicking it harder, and it still didn't move. He wasn't wearing shoes, so when he kicked it again, even harder, it actually caused him pain.

"What the…" he muttered, looking down at this seemingly invincible twig.

"It's magic, duh," Alfred let out a laugh. "And you think I'm the dumb one."

"Magic," Arthur scoffed. "Of course it's bloody magic…" he turned to the next most obvious route and chose to try to step over this great barrier. But something that almost felt like a wall seemed to come in the way and caused Arthur to stub his toe yet again. "What the hell?"

"I don't know how these things work," Alfred shrugged. "But it's freaking awesome, right? You know, I could help you out, if you promise me you'll have a sword fight."

"Why would I have a sword fight with you?" Arthur sighed, shaking his head.

"'Cause the only way out is to fly," Alfred smirked. "You can just waltz in all happy and stuff, but you need to fly to get out. It's a great booby trap when you're getting back at someone."

"Does everything on this island come with magic attached?" Arthur groaned, sitting down on the ground and crossing his legs.

"Pretty much," Alfred shrugged. "I mean, I'm pretty sure the trees are normal. And besides from not aging, the Indians are pretty chill, they don't use pixie dust."

"What is pixie dust?" Arthur scoffed.

"The thing that helps me fly," Alfred winked, floating slightly in the air with pride. "You don't get this power by just being around mermaids."

"I have a question for you, then," Arthur stated, looking up at Alfred as he landed back on the ground.

"Shoot," Alfred said.

"You call them fairies," Arthur said, "and yet you say pixie dust." Alfred nodded. "How does that many any sense?"

"Uh, I guess it's just kinda been passed down," Alfred rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I've never really noticed it before, but you do make some sense."

"How does it work then?" Arthur asked, leaning back and hitting the wall the twigs made behind him. "This pixie dust?"

"Hell do I know," Alfred shrugged. "I just know the fairies have it. They're the ones that give it out. There was one a while ago, I think they said her name was Tinker Bell. She disappeared with the old leader of the Lost Boys. But she apparently had quite a temper. Whenever the leader would bring people here with him, she would get so jealous and refuse to help them."

Arthur smiled slightly. "You talk a lot about this old leader. Is there a leader now?" Arthur couldn't help but ask, he had at least been slightly curious since that story Alfred told him.

"Yes and no?" Alfred shrugged, laughing slightly. "I mean, we have some generic order, but no one really in charge. This place is for fun, anyway. What's the point if there's some dictator?"

"The logic here astounds me every second," Arthur sighed, shaking his head.

"Are you even gonna try to get out?" Alfred asked.

"The way you were talking, it made me think that I will need to beg to be able to get out of here," Arthur shrugged. "I figure you'll get me out eventually."

"Can't be so sure," Alfred shrugged. "Dinner's soon and the Indians helped us this time, so I could be gone for a while, maybe all night before I get back here."

"I thought you said you wanted me to like this island," Arthur smirked. "And stay here."

"I could always keep you in here, make sure you can't leave," Alfred shrugged. "Can't believe I haven't thought of it before."

"But you made a promise," Arthur chuckled. "Weren't you the one who made a big deal about that?"

"Tell ya what," Alfred stretched his arms over his head. "If you say please, I'll let you out and you can have the best dinner you will probably ever taste. And then I have one more thing to show you before we go to sleep that I'm sure will make you fall in love with this island and stay here. You won't even have to do the sword fight."

"Really?" Arthur snorted.

"I mean, once you stay here for a few days, I'm sure you'll want to have a sword fight anyway," Alfred shrugged. "This way we both win, so just say please."

Arthur let out a long sigh. He would have to get out of here sometime, anyway, and he was pretty sure some of his other options wouldn't be as preferable as this one. "Please?"

"Sweet!" Alfred jumped up in the air happily and he stayed up there, hovering in place. "I thought I would have had to try so much harder with you!"

"Don't count yourself too lucky," Arthur laughed lightly, getting up.

"But I put you into a good mood!" Alfred smiled happily, flying just over Arthur's head. "I say that's something to count myself really lucky for!"

"Just shut up and get me out of here," Arthur scoffed.

"Whatever you say," Alfred laughed, picking up Arthur by his underarms and flying up slightly before flying off somewhere else in the forest. They were moving rather slowly compared to any other time, though. "Uh-oh…" Alfred chuckled slightly.

"What?" Arthur deadpanned, dreading what was wrong.

"Low on pixie dust," Alfred said non-chalantly. "Shouldn't be too big of a deal. I think we can make it to the Indians before I run out!"

"Wouldn't it be safer to get closer to the ground?" Arthur muttered, seeing how high up they were, which was a few feet over the tree line. "Just in case?"

"Nah, we're perfectly fine!" Alfred chimed. Suddenly, they dropped a couple feet and Arthur's feet skimmed the tops of the trees.

"Are you quite sure about that?" Arthur glared up at Alfred.

"Small slip up," Alfred laughed. "Won't happen again."

"If that's so, then why don't you fly higher?" Arthur asked.

"Um…'Cause I can't?" Alfred muttered.

"What was that?" Arthur asked.

"Nothing! We'll be fine!" Alfred laughed it off.

"For some reason, I don't belie-"

And then they dropped. Alfred let out a small yell in surprise, and Arthur, as much as he would hate to admit it, let out something that sounded a lot like a scream, but it wasn't. The two of them tumbled through the branches, still moving forward at Alfred's pace when flying, until they ran out and fell at least 8 feet, onto the ground.

"Ow…" Arthur muttered. He had landed practically on his face, but luckily his stomach broke his fall. And then something else had him break their fall.

"Wasn't so bad," Alfred laughed, lying sideways on top of Arthur.

"I'm sure it wasn't," Arthur rolled his eyes. "Because you didn't have a fat arse land on your back!"

"Hey!" Alfred whined. "I'm not fat!"

"You know, this is the second time I've fallen because of you," Arthur muttered glaring back at him over his shoulder.

"Okay, the Bad Touch Trio would have dropped you anyway, you can't blame that on me," Alfred put his hands over him in surrender. "Me being there just sped up the process."

"Good to know," Arthur muttered. "Now will you get the bloody hell off of me?"

"But I'm comfy," Alfred stretched his hands and popped his back a little.

"And I am not," Arthur quipped. "I thought you wanted me to like it here."

"I do," Alfred shrugged. "But sometimes you just need to smell the roses."

"And having my face pressed against them will assist me in doing so?" Arthur scoffed, turning back to the grass right under him.

"I would think so," Alfred shrugged. "I mean, if you're close to them, it should be easy to smell them. Then again, it's just an expression, so I mean, whatever."

"There you are," a small voice gasped, like the person had just been running. Arthur immediately looked over to the source and found a boy probably just as old as Alfred. He had wavy, wheat blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked very shy and vaguely looked like Alfred. "Who is this?"

"Oh, this is Artie," Alfred stated happily as Arthur squirmed slightly underneath him to try to get up.

"He's who Feli was talking about…" the kid muttered before turning his attention back to why he originally came here. "We've been waiting for you with the Indians. They've already started eating."

"What?!" Alfred immediately sat upright, finally allowing Arthur the luxury of sitting up, too. "How could they do that?"

"It's hard enough trying to make the Indians wait, especially this long," the boy sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Mattie, I would have been there really soon!" Alfred groaned.

"They started a while ago, actually," Mattie stated. "I've been spending all this time looking for you… What were you two doing, anyway?"

"I ran out of pixie dust and we kinda fell," Alfred laughed.

"Kinda?" Arthur snapped at him. "You bloody fell on top of me!"

"Alfred, you should be more careful with how much pixie dust you have," Mattie sighed, shaking his head. "We should get going, though."

"Hell yeah!" Alfred nearly jumped up so that he was standing. "I'm missing out on some good meat! Come on, Artie!"

"My name is Arthur," Arthur stated, looking up at Alfred, who was holding out a hand for him to take.

"Whatever, let's just get going," Alfred smiled.

"Not until you get my name right," Arthur said simply.

"What the hell does it matter if I get your name right?" Alfred chuckled. "It's just a nickname."

"That I don't like," Arthur simply stared at him.

"You know what? I don't have time for this," Alfred sighed and stooped down, easily picking up Arthur and stood up, slinging him over his shoulder, his torso hanging over Alfred's back.

"What the-" was all Arthur could think of saying. He tried to kick and squirm his way out of Alfred's grip, but he had already started walking and didn't seem to want to slow down any time soon. "Alfred, let go of me!"

"But you didn't want to move," Alfred laughed. "I figured I might as well move for you."

"What the bloody hell gave you that absurd idea?" Arthur demanded.

"It just came to me," Alfred shrugged. "Can you believe that?"

"Not at all," Arthur muttered sarcastically, going limp and forgetting his protests for the time being.

"I'm sorry," Mattie smiled sheepishly, walking behind Alfred so that Arthur could see him. "He can be a little out of hand sometimes."

"A little?" Arthur sighed.

"Well, as odd as the circumstances are," Mattie shrugged, "it's nice to meet you Arthur. My name is Matthew."

* * *

**Yay! Mattie's here now! I'm not entirely sure if I want to go into too much detail with the dinner. I might just talk about all the other Lost Boys and then have Alfred and Arthur go out alone... I'm not sure, yet. And school has been so killer this week, I barely had this done in time. This coming from the person who could post a chapter a day a while ago... Sigh...**

**Anyway, please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

Arthur sat cross-legged on the ground, watching as Alfred, Matthew, Feli, Lovi, and quite a few others made fools of themselves dancing around a fire with a large group of Indians. He couldn't help but laugh a little bit, watching the boys trip over themselves and occasionally crash to the ground trying to figure out the dance. Alfred kept on asking him if he wanted to join in, but he simply shook his head.

The sun was just beginning to set, while their large group was still eating. Arthur had already decided he wasn't going to eat much, but the second the food was put in front of him, he had to eat all of it, it was just so amazing. And that damn smirk that kept appearing on Alfred's face was annoying the hell out of him. But he couldn't deny that he was having fun. Probably more fun than he had had his whole life, which hadn't been much before anyway…

"Come on, Artie!" Alfred laughed, stumbling up to Arthur.

"Do you realize you all look like drunk men?" Arthur smirked, letting out a slight laugh.

"Then how about you act like one with us?" Alfred smiled.

"No, thank you," Arthur shook his head.

"You are no fun," Francis (whose name Arthur just learned, along with the rest of the Bad Touch Trio) said suddenly behind him and grabbed his arm. Immediately, Arthur turned to glare at him.

"Ja, loosen up," Gilbert snickered, grabbing onto Arthur's other arm. Arthur was soon lurched to his feet. Alfred started laughing and Arthur turned to glare at him.

"Come on! It's funny!" Alfred laughed and leaned back slightly, apparently thinking he could still fly. He lost his balance and fell flat on his back.

"You have to get more pixie dust, amigo," Antonio laughed, standing over Alfred.

"Yeah, I'll get it when I bring Arthur to them," Alfred smiled, sitting up right.

"What?" Arthur asked, but he didn't quite get his answer as he was dragged to the fire by the two still holding onto his arms. They continued dancing, forcing Arthur to move along with them. They all looked like such idiots, Arthur couldn't help but laugh a little bit. Eventually, Gilbert and Francis let Arthur go, but he didn't have much of a choice to do anything but dance or just stumble around and hope that he can get back to where he was.

He ran into a few Indians, but the rest were the Lost Boys; and Arthur knew hardly any of their names except for about five. There were a lot more than he thought there would be. He would have to ask Alfred how so many boys found their way here. Not all of them had some boisterous American to fly them here, he was sure. As time passed, the dance only got faster and more frantic, and Arthur only had slight trouble keeping up with it. In reality, it was just stumbling around a fire to some drums Arthur noticed just a little bit ago in the first place. The Lost Boys seemed to be having a grand time just stumbling around and Arthur had to admit that he was having at least some fun. A small part of him did wonder where Alfred had gone off to.

Eventually, just a little while after sunset, a few of the Lost Boys got the bright idea to have their little circle start moving in the opposite direction and a few of them slammed into Arthur, causing him to start stumbling in the opposite direction. At this point, he just went with it, logic escaped his mind a while ago. All this stumbling, though, led him running into something solid, which appeared to have just stopped moving when Arthur hit it. Arthur blinked a little and looked up and found that the object was Alfred.

"Hey," Alfred smiled, sounding a little breathless. "Finally found you."

"Hello," Arthur laughed slightly.

"Good to see your finally having fun," Alfred stated as a few people rammed into them from their stumbling.

"Yes, well, I didn't have much of a choice," Arthur ran a hand through his hair.

"Well, it's past sundown, so I wanna show you something," Alfred smiled brightly, grabbing onto Arthur's hand and skillfully managing to make it out of the dancing circle. Alfred immediately started running once they were out and Arthur struggled to keep up with him. Trying to keep up with that dance was rather tiring, after all.

"How the bloody hell do you have all this energy still?" Arthur panted.

"I'm just used to it," Alfred replied chipperly. "I could carry you if you want, but I can't fly anymore for right now."

"Where are we going exactly?" Arthur asked, nearly tripping on a rock. "You said something about the fairies earlier."

"Don't worry about it," Alfred turned back to him for a second to reveal a smile that was bright, even in the darkness. "It's awesome!"

"Reassuring," Arthur muttered. He tried to look at the ground to make sure he didn't rip on anything in this seemingly dangerous jungle, but it was hard to see in only the vague moonlight. Another light soon appeared though, ahead of them. It had a shimmering gold color and Arthur had to take his eyes off the ground to stare at it.

In just a few seconds of that, his foot got hooked under a root, causing him to get caught and trip and fall forward.

"Whoa!" Alfred exclaimed as he, too fell forward as a result of holding onto Arthur.

Arthur had closed his eyes to brace himself for falling to the ground, but he wound up falling on something rather soft. He opened his eyes and put his hands on the ground to lift himself up. Shortly after starting to look around, he found that he had landed right on top of Alfred, who was on his back, staring at him.

"How the hell did you manage to fall like that while you were ahead of me?" Arthur couldn't help but laugh.

"I don't know," Alfred laughed, too. "Magic?"

"You're so bloody stupid," Arthur shook his head, still laughing. He looked back at Alfred, the moonlight landing on the two somewhat perfectly. Alfred was just calming down from laughing, so his blue eyes shone happily and his deep tan gave him a nice glow. The two seemed to quickly overcome their laughter as they started to look at each other in their position. Arthur felt his face start to heat up slightly, but he blamed it on the heat.

He was about to get off Alfred and stand up, when that gold light came back, just above his head. He looked up at it and found several others glowing around it. More slowly came as Arthur tried to focus on the one closest to his face. It slowly came into his focus, and Arthur couldn't help but crack a smile when he saw that it was a small woman with light, pretty wings staring at him in curiosity.

"Fairies," Arthur muttered.

"Yeah," Alfred's voice made Arthur look down, but he was looking at the fairies above Arthur's head. "They like to gather in this part of the jungle at night. Alone, their pretty, but all together it's pretty mesmerizing."

"A fairy," Arthur mumbled and slowly got off of Alfred so that he could sit down and look at them all around him. The first one he saw immediately flew up close to him to examine his face with a serious frown. After just a few seconds, she lunged at his face, giving his cheek a hug. Arthur let out a small laugh and he felt another one latch onto his hair.

"I think they like you," Alfred laughed. "That's pretty good, considering they usually aren't nice to new comers."

"I remember when I used to believe in them," Arthur smiled, looking at one that landed on his hand, "they would visit me every night."

"Why did you stop?" Alfred asked and Arthur looked up at him. He was sitting right across from him just a few fairies on him while probably 20 or 30 were all over Arthur.

"People started making fun of me," Arthur smiled fondly at the one on his hand. "They couldn't see them, so they figured they obviously didn't exist. Eventually I got tired of the teasing and accepted what everyone else was telling me."

"You believe now, though, right?" Alfred asked.

"It's not like I can't," Arthur laughed as the fairies started pulling slightly on his hair.

"Well that's good," Alfred nodded and stood up. His next words seemed directed at the fairies. "Hey, if you all wouldn't mind, I'm out of pixie dust."

Immediately, all the fairies made a sound that was an awful lot like a squeal of excitement and they all flew off of Arthur to fly above Alfred. Suddenly, Alfred was showered in this gold powder that nearly covered him head-to-toe.

"Hey," Alfred laughed, almost like it was tickling him. "A little too much there, girls," he tried wiping some of it off his arms and Arthur couldn't help but laugh from where he was, watching it all. "I know you all love me, but this is a little too much."

"Are you always this much of a ladies man?" Arthur laughed.

"Of course," Alfred winked. "Back on Earth, all the girls were trying to get me to marry them."

"Out of curiosity, how long have you been here?" Arthur asked as a few of the fairies immediately flew back to him, pulling on his hair.

"I think they want to give you some pixie dust, too," Alfred laughed, a few pools of gold dust here and there on his clothes and hair.

"I'm fine, thank you," Arthur smiled at them and they all pouted but soon turned to simply petting his hair. "You didn't answer my question."

"I don't know," Alfred shrugged. "Time is different here, so it's felt like a really long time. I visit Earth sometimes, but it's hard to tell how much has really changed."

"Do you remember when you left?" Arthur asked.

"It's been a while," Alfred laughed slightly. "I hardly remember home or what it was really like. A lot of what I really know is here."

Arthur nodded to himself and looked up at the moon. It was about half full, but still spilled in a lot of moonlight into their little area that seemed to be getting more fairies by the minute. A few of them flocked to Arthur, but a few others went to Alfred intent on simply messing with him, whether that be tickling or shoving him over, which made Arthur laugh even more.

"You guys are really embarrassing me," Alfred muttered. "I mean, come on, he's new here!"

"Yes," Arthur said suddenly and Alfred stopped, looking at him.

"What?" Alfred asked.

"Yes," Arthur smiled, nodding his head. "I'll stay here."

Alfred stood there, frozen, like he didn't expect this as much as he had been saying all day. Then he lunged at him, floating slightly in the air and gave him a hug, pulling Arthur to his feet.

"I knew it!" Alfred cheered happily. "Awesome!"

Arthur couldn't help but laugh harder as Alfred seemed to be mumbling things to himself about how he was so happy and the fairies around them seemed to be making a cheering sound as well.

"Well don't try to hold anything back," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm not," Alfred hugged him tighter and then pulled back to look at him, landing on the ground. "There's so much more I've gotta show you and all the games I can teach you!"

"It's not like I'll be going anywhere," Arthur smiled.

"Perfect!" Alfred hugged him again and he would have tackled Arthur to the ground if he weren't flying, making them basically float in the air.

"You could let me go, you know," Arthur tried wriggling out of Alfred's grip, to no avail.

"I knew I could get you to stay here," Alfred mumbled and Arthur smiled, patting his head.

* * *

**Cute little romantic scene... Aw. The first scene was annoying, but I needed in here. Sorry I took a little longer to update than usual, I died having to go all night laser tagging and so I was asleep all yesterday. But now it's up and I have all of Spring Break to write some more! Wish me luck!**

**And please review! It keeps me going, really.**


	6. Chapter 6

Alfred was ecstatic. He would be bouncing off the walls if Neverland had any. And all Arthur could do was sit back and laugh at the way he was acting. It was the day after Arthur said he would stay and Alfred was still flying loops over the beach.

"You are such a child," Arthur chuckled, shaking his head. The beach was just as beautiful as the day before. The mermaids were still out, them too laughing at Alfred as he made a fool of himself.

"Shit, rough landing," Alfred said, as he stumbled from landing too quickly. Before Arthur could try to move out of the way, Alfred had already slammed into him.

"You need to bloody calm down," Arthur couldn't help but continue laughing as Alfred scrambled, flew up into the air, righted himself, and landed on his feet.

"Ah, but I can always recover like a hero," Alfred smiled.

"Sure you can," Arthur rolled his eyes, going back to sitting upright.

"So, whaddya wanna do?" Alfred asked excitedly. "We could have a treasure hunt! We could have a sword fight! We could play tag!"

"We could just relax," Arthur smiled, leaning back on his elbows.

"Hey, I brought you here to have fun," Alfred whined.

"Relaxing is fun," Arthur retorted.

"Yeah, and you said the same thing about reading," Alfred rolled his eyes. "Come on, it's beautiful today! We have to take advantage of it!"

"I am," Arthur teased.

"I like the idea of a treasure hunt!" Gilbert shouted, suddenly appearing on Arthur's side, which made the latter jump slightly.

"Me, too," Francis smirked, appearing on the other side.

"What the hell are you up to?" Arthur asked them. As his answer, he was pulled to his feet by his arms, which were then quickly pulled behind his back to be tied by a rope.

"Find the treasure if you can!" Gilbert shouted happily, flying higher in the air while holding onto Arthur and flying somewhere towards the center of the island.

"Gilbert! Set me down!" Arthur snapped, trying to struggle out of Gilbert's grip.

"Alright, fine," Gilbert smirked, letting go of Arthur, causing him to fall. He let out a short yelp before Francis easily caught him in his arms.

"Antoine should be giving us a head start," Francis laughed.

"Awesome," Gilbert nodded before suddenly diving into the jungle. Francis followed him and Arthur fought not to yell out at the sudden dive. They hit a couple branches on their way through the trees, but soon they were clear and weaving through the trees.

"Why have a treasure hunt with me as the treasure?" Arthur sighed, very much disliking the feeling of his hands being tied behind his back with Francis holding him.

"You are the only treasure Alfred will go all out for to find," Francis said happily.

"Which is exactly what we want," Gilbert stopped right in front of what looked like the start of a mountain. "Since our hiding space his freaking awesome."

"What is it?" Arthur scoffed.

"Underground," Gilbert winked before standing stiffly straight up and dropping down, out of sight. Even though the ground was just about a meter below them.

"What?" Arthur stared at the ground in disbelief.

"Better sit still," Francis laughed before dropping Arthur. Once again, Arthur was falling, but he didn't fall to the ground like he expected, rather through it. It easily gave way under him and he continued to fall. He almost screamed, but thought better of it with the company he was around. Before long, Gilbert caught him in his arms.

"You really need to stop bloody dropping me," Arthur grumbled as Gilbert set him down on the ground so he was sitting.

"Last time," Gilbert held his hand up. "…Today. Promise."

"How assuring," Arthur rolled his eyes and looked around at where they were. It seemed to be something of an underwater cave. There were sand and rocks lining the bottom with some water here and there. The way above was the only light coming in from whatever they made coming in. "Is that the only entrance?"

"There's another," Gilbert shrugged as Francis came down, easily slowing down just before he reached the ground and landing perfectly. "But it's completely underwater."

"Why did you not get pixie dust when you had the chance?" Francis asked curiously.

"I don't have that much of an interest in flying?" Arthur scoffed. "Why the bloody hell did you tie me up?"

"To make sure you don't get away too easily," Gilbert said happily.

"Where am I going to go?" Arthur rolled his eyes and sat down on the ground.

"I dunno?" Gilbert shrugged. "Anything's really possible here. I've heard the fairies love you."

"Hard to accomplish," Francis muttered. "They still hate me…"

"I wonder why?" Arthur smirked.

"Sh," Gilbert silenced them, looking ahead.

"Arthur!" Alfred yelled overhead, his voice making a slight echo around them, but not loud enough to hear outside the cave. "Arthur!"

"Why do I have to be quiet?" Arthur scoffed. "I would actually quite like to be found and get away from you."

"It makes the game more fun," Gilbert laughed and flew up, probably to where the opening was. "He's gone, perfect."

"I do not even think he knows this place exists," Francis laughed.

"But I have no doubt he'll find it soon," Gilbert came back down.

"You two seem pretty confident that he'll go all out for this," Arthur sighed.

"Of course," Francis shrugged. "Have you not seen the way he acts around you and talks to you? Or the fact that he was that happy that you were staying?"

"Bastard woke me up in the middle of the night with his cheering," Gilbert scoffed.

"What exactly are you implying?" Arthur sighed.

"It is amour," Francis smirked.

"What?" Arthur scoffed. "Definitely not."

"I dunno," Gilbert shrugged. "He was pretty Hell bent on making sure you stayed here."

"The only reason I gave this island a fair chance was because we made a deal," Arthur sighed.

"Arthur!" Alfred shouted above them. The three stayed quiet (Arthur had no idea why he was quiet) until they were sure he left.

"What was the deal?" Francis quirked an eyebrow.

"If I gave it the day and still didn't like it, he would bring me home immediately," Arthur sighed. "It wasn't like I had much to lose."

"He wouldn't have brought you home," Gilbert laughed. "Like hell."

"He said that if he broke his promise, he would go back with me," Arthur stated.

"He what?" Francis' sudden shocked expression seemed to change the atmosphere around them dramatically.

"He made that deal with you?" Gilbert blinked. "Shieβe…"

"I understand going back is a big deal here," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"For normal people here, it is a big deal," Francis stated. "For Alfred…"

"What makes him so different?" Arthur sighed.

"He's been here longer than anyone," Gilbert stated. "Probably long enough to remember the old Lost Boy's leader. It's been at least a hundred years."

"What?" Arthur asked. "Why has he stayed here so long?"

"Why does anyone else come here?" Francis stated, looking up at the light coming from above. "He doesn't want to grow up. He goes back to Earth sometimes and I think he is keeping up with the times rather well."

"But a hundred years is a little extreme, don't you think?" Arthur asked. "I'm sure everyone has gone back eventually."

"Everyone else has," Gilbert scoffed. "I've only been here, what? 5 years? I still think about my little bruder I left behind."

"What about Alfred's brother?" Arthur asked. This was really curious. What was keeping Alfred here so long? Was the real world really that bad for him?

"Step brother," Gilbert stated. "A little younger than him. He's gone back and forth like it's nothing. He can't really decide which world is better."

"So, what is this place?" Arthur asked. "A go-between for boys who don't want to grow up?"

"Is that not what you're doing here?" Francis grinned. "Alfred said he heard you say you didn't want to grow up."

"But you lot have been saying someone being brought here is rare," Arthur stated.

"It's some strange law," Francis sighed, almost nostalgically. "If a boy runs away from home, gets lost, anything, and they are gone for certain amount of time, one day they will wake up here."

"Hey, I don't mind entirely," Gilbert shrugged. "I've had the time of my life here!"

"You were the missing third to Antoine and myself," Francis smiled.

"Hell yeah!" Gilbert shouted.

"Arthur!" Alfred yelled above them.

"Shit," Gilbert groaned. "Perfect timing…"

Before long, Alfred flew down and landed just like Francis had, looking around.

"How the hell did you guys find this place?" Alfred looked around for a second. "It took me forever!"

"It was supposed to take you longer," Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"I found the treasure," Alfred sighed, and he seemed to be panting a little. "Now give him back."

"Make us," Francis smirked.

"Lost track of him," Antonio groaned, coming into their little cave and landing behind Alfred.

"Three against one? Really?" Alfred sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm already tired, willing to cut me some slack?"

"I bet relaxing doesn't sound so bad now, does it?" Arthur asked smugly.

"Shut up, no one asked you," Alfred groaned and Arthur couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Just hurry up and save me, twat," Arthur stated, shifting slightly. He felt something brush against his fingers, though. He looked back at it and saw that the small puddles of water all over the floor were growing in number. Did that mean the tide was rising or something?

"If you want him back, you'll have to work for it," Gilbert smirked triumphantly.

"Come on, guys," Alfred sighed and Arthur saw the water on the ground increasing until it was all one shallow line.

"Um, you might want to be quick about it," Arthur muttered. The idea of a rising tide was not very pleasing, considering he couldn't swim…

"Fine," Alfred stretched out his arms. The tide was rising very quickly, Arthur noticed, it was already covering his ankles as he stood up. He looked around for a rock to stand on as Alfred tackled Gilbert, making them both land in the water. They seemed completely oblivious to the fact that there was water as the two started to brawl, laughing all the while. Francis and Antonio joined in as Arthur jumped onto the largest rock there as the rising tide licked at his kneecaps. The rock would give him maybe an extra minute of time…

"Hey! Don't do that!" Alfred laughed and Arthur looked back to their little fight. Alfred was losing badly, probably mostly due to the fact that it was three on one. And he was tired from looking all over the island for him. The tide was back on his feet.

"Alfred…" Arthur muttered, watching the water quickly rise.

"Hold on, I got this!" Alfred grunted.

"Sure you do," Gilbert smirked, flying over him. Because of the water level rising, their fight moved to flying in midair, so they were still oblivious to the fact Arthur was slowly getting into deep trouble.

"Is that why I have you pinned?" Francis asked triumphantly, holding Alfred's arms behind his back. The water was at Arthur's shins again.

"Alfred," Arthur tried again to get his attention, but Alfred was too preoccupied with trying to get away from the trio. Gilbert produced another rope and helped to tie Alfred's arms behind his back.

"I do not think you have this," Antonio laughed.

"Alfred!" Arthur yelled, but he slipped, falling backwards into the water with a large splash. It took him a while of working with his hands tied behind his back, but he finally managed to stand again. The water was just about to reach his torso.

"Oh, shit," Alfred muttered.

"Let's just separate these two love birds," Gilbert laughed, pulling Alfred up with him.

"Wait!" Alfred struggled and the other two went with them, up.

"Alfred!" Arthur yelled in vain. He definitely couldn't get back on that rock now, considering he would probably just fall again. If only he could find something to get his wrists untied with… Arthur tried to look around, but it was too dark to find anything with only those few rays of light. The water was nearly at his chest at this point.

"Guys, let me down there!" Alfred yelled from above.

"Oh, relax, he's not in that much danger," Gilbert laughed.

"He can swim, non?" Francis asked.

"No, he can't," Alfred stated and they all fell silent. The water was practically at his neck.

"A little help!?" Arthur yelled up at them. He tried moving around, but all of this water was making it very hard to move.

"Merde…" Francis groaned.

"Coming!" Antonio yelled out.

"Later loser," Gilbert cackled and Arthur could sort of see three figures come in.

"Hey!" Alfred yelled out, far higher than the others. The water was getting very high now. Arthur stood on the tips of his toes, tilting his face up.

"Where is he?" was the last thing Arthur heard before the water covered his ears. Arthur tried to jump and kick, anything to see if he could figure out trying to swim, but nothing worked. Very soon the water fully covered his face and Arthur barely had time to suck in a breath before he was fully submerged.

He was down there for a while, his eyes closed so as not to let salt water in. It was perfectly quiet, save a few splashes as the trio got their guesses wrong where he was. He was just about to let out his breath and try to suck in a new one when he felt someone grab onto his upper arms. At first, he thought it was one of the trio, but the hand was so delicate, it had to be that of a woman.

Arthur felt something press up against his lips and a sudden breath of fresh air entered his lungs. He felt his hands get cut free behind him and another set of hands grabbed onto him and forced him to break through the surface, helping him float.

"I do think he would be dead by now," Antonio muttered as Arthur tried to recover from his time underwater.

"We'll have a great funeral service," Gilbert muttered.

"You bloody twats!" Arthur snapped, some of the water hitting him in the face. "You'll give up that easily?!"

"Found him!" Francis smirked and flew up to Arthur, but he backed up quickly when he saw what was next to him. "Mermaids?"

"They seem to like him…" Gilbert muttered, keeping his distance as well.

"Why else would they help him?" Antonio asked.

"I don't know, but how exactly are we gonna get him back now?" Gilbert sighed.

"What, are you lot scared of a little mermaid?" Arthur scoffed.

"Those are not the Disney mermaids you know," Francis shook his head. "They are deadly creatures."

Arthur looked at the two seemingly beautiful women helping him up. Deadly?

"He's with the mermaids?!" Alfred yelled above them. "You better get him back before he's hurt!"

The mermaids next to Arthur hissed slightly, holding onto Arthur tighter.

"You should be a little nicer," Arthur winced at their grip. "They did save my life, unlike you three."

"Hey, it's not my fault you can't swim," Gilbert put his hands up in defense.

"It is your fault that you left me tied up as the tide was rising," Arthur retorted.

"I think if they like you, they might listen to you," Antonio muttered. "Ask them to let you go and we'll take you up."

"I'm sure they heard you," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Ask, dumb ass," Gilbert stated. "Or your boyfriend'll rip our heads off."

Arthur let out a sigh and turned to look at the two mermaids helping to hold him up. Their tails brushed past his legs, scratching them slightly.

"Um, thank you very much for helping me," Arthur muttered. "If you would let me go, my friends will bring me up to land."

The mermaids gave each other looks over Arthur's head and made some odd, clicking sounds at each other. Eventually, they swam towards the trio, who immediately backed up at first.

"You are such whimps," Arthur rolled his eyes. The mermaid on his right let go of him and he stretched out his arm above the water. Francis immediately took hold him and started to lift him up. Eventually, the other one let go of him and soon he was being dragged upwards through the top entrance. He waved to the mermaids, whose shadows waved back at him.

Before long, they appeared in the brightness of land and Arthur was quickly set down on the ground.

"Once I get out of this, you three are so dead," Alfred threatened above him. When Arthur looked up, he was a little surprised to see Alfred, hanging down from a tree, his arms behind himself.

"That would be our cue to leave," Gilbert chuckled nervously and the trio disappeared through the trees.

"What exactly happened to you?" Arthur asked, looking up.

"They tied my hands behind my back over a tree branch," Alfred shrugged, or tried to. "It's not that big of a deal since I can fly, it doesn't hurt that bad. What was that about mermaids?"

"They saved me," Arthur grinned. "Apparently they don't normally do this sort of thing?"

"They would rather kill and eat than save and make friends," Alfred muttered. "You're alright, though?"

"I'm fine," Arthur sighed, smiling. "I guess I'm going to have to help you get out of that, won't I?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Alfred laughed.

Arthur tried to shake off the water from his clothes and hair and tried to find a way to climb that tree.

* * *

**I was actually pretty surprised that this came out... I got a stupid random muse that made me forget everything that I was writing, so I spent an entire day reliving my muses for everything, but now I'm back on track! And the mermaids love Artie! Isn't that great? All the magical beings fall in love with him! (Alfred included, if you haven't noticed.)**

**Please review! It would be great! You guys are, like, half my muse!**


	7. Chapter 7

It was weeks, maybe just one week, maybe even a month; time was impossible to tell anymore… All that really mattered, though, was that it felt like forever to Arthur. He was having fun, that was for sure. The people here were some of the best he had ever met, but he couldn't stop thinking about home.

That term never really meant much to Arthur in the past, but now it truly resonated with him. As much as he had hated it, it was all home. The rickety orphanage he would hide from everyone in. The school where he was secretly one of the top in class. The feuding parents in charge of the orphanage. He couldn't believe he was saying it; but he missed it all. There was one night where he stared at the moon nearly the entire night when Alfred was sleeping near the beach, just thinking about home.

He wasn't entirely sure what to do. He did love it here, and he could have sworn he was starting to feel…something for Alfred. He would feel horrible for leaving, but he felt like he had to. The responsibility he left behind continued to nag at him in the back of his head. How long had it been back home? Did they miss him?

"Hey, you okay?" Alfred asked, leaning obnoxiously close to Arthur's face once when he was looking out at the ocean one day. Alfred had finally allowed them to just sit down and relax to enjoy the scenery.

"Of course I am, you twat," Arthur scoffed, rolling his eyes. He sighed, looking at the mermaids as they happily swam around.

"That's funny, I almost thought you were telling the truth," Alfred leaned forward, putting himself in front of Arthur's line of sight. "What's been bothering you?"

"Nothing," Arthur tried a fake smile and stood up, pretending to stretch. "What did you want to do today again?"

"Uh-uh," Alfred stood up, holding onto both of his shoulders. "You aren't gonna avoid this."

"Alfred, I'm perfectly fine," Arthur sighed, brushing off Alfred's hands.

"You're a terrible liar," Alfred smirked. "Come on, please?"

"There is nothing wrong, so there is nothing I need to tell you," Arthur assured him.

"Couple spat?" Gilbert cackled behind Arthur.

"Go away Gilbert," Arthur rolled his eyes. "I'm not quite in the mood to be kidnapped again today."

"We do it 5 times and you can't trust us?" Antonio sighed, landing behind Alfred. Arthur quickly tore away from Alfred, choosing to look into the ocean again.

"It's not like you were hurt at all," Francis sighed behind Arthur.

"Yeah, you didn't even drown that first time," Gilbert shrugged.

"The fact that you need to say that makes me worried," Arthur shook his head.

"Seriously, you guys," Alfred sighed. "You've made me run out of so much pixie dust! I've had to bring Arthur to beg in order to get more!"

"I am pretty sure they would give him anything he asked for," Francis laughed.

"He is such a ladies man when it comes to magical creatures," Gilbert chuckled and Arthur finally turned around to face the four people with him.

"It is too bad he has no luck with everyone else," Antonio teased.

"Shut up," Arthur rolled his eyes, but he could feel his face heat up slightly. You know, past the sunburn.

"Yeah, well, Artie and I were just about to go to…Skull Island," Alfred quickly came up to Arthur, grabbing onto his wrist. Arthur raised an eyebrow, but allowed himself to be dragged along the beach, away from the Bad Touch Trio.

"You're just pulling me away because you don't want another scavenger hunt," Arthur smirked.

"Yeah, well, we're still gonna talk once we get there. And on an island, you can't run away," Alfred said happily.

"Why does it bloody matter to you so much?" Arthur sighed, pulling his hand back. "It's not like it will affect you that much."

"But my job is to make sure that you're happy here," Alfred pouted. "You've been…sadder lately. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I see you staring at the sky a lot."

"It's nothing too important," Arthur sighed and started walking towards the jungle.

"Oi, you don't get to just walk away," Alfred flew over his head and landed in front of him, making them stop. "I've been told I'm horrible at reading the atmosphere, so if I can tell something's wrong, something is really wrong."

"Really?" Arthur asked, deciding it would be better to change the subject. "I've been told you've had quite a lot of time to learn something like that."

"Did someone tell you how old I am?" Alfred blinked.

"Gilbert and Francis told me how long you've been here," Arthur stated. "Why haven't you gone home?"

"Nuthin' left to go to," Alfred shrugged. "Unlike you, I came here because I was left unclaimed for days."

"From the looks of it, you're almost 18," Arthur stated. "You could have taken care of yourself."

"I do, here," Alfred stated.

"Then here's another question," Arthur looked up at him, since Alfred was slightly taller. "Since you've been here for so long, why don't you remember anything from the past? From the leader of the Lost Boys and all of that?"

"Hey, I dunno," Alfred sighed. "I know some of the stories, like the ones I've told you. But there are some boys here that know more than me. I don't know what happened."

"And this doesn't worry you?" Arthur asked, walking around Alfred and into the jungle. He liked it better in there; he had always liked trees.

"Hey, this is a place of no worries," Alfred chuckled, following him, hovering slightly over the ground.

"Sure, no worries," Arthur scoffed. "Except for worrying about when the trio will kidnap me again."

"Hey, I find you every time," Alfred whined.

"Not exactly the point," Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Well, whatever," Alfred dropped onto the ground, walking backwards in pace with Arthur. "You're avoiding the subject; what are you so distracted about?"

"It's nothing, love," Arthur spoke without really paying attention to what he said and hardly noticed when Alfred stopped walking and allowed Arthur to pass.

"L-Love?" Alfred stuttered, quickly stumbling to match pace with Arthur once again.

"What?" Arthur asked, looking at Alfred.

"You just called me 'love'," Alfred pointed at him, smirking.

"Ah, nervous tick from home, I suppose," Arthur couldn't help but blush, trying to brush it off as easily as possible. Had he really called Alfred something like that? God…

"So you just go around calling everyone 'love'?" Alfred asked.

"You go around calling everyone 'dude'," Arthur scoffed.

"It sounds weird in British," Alfred snorted.

"You are so immature," Arthur rolled his eyes and walked a little faster. Alfred easily kept up pace now, obviously over whatever had happened to him before.

"I am still a kid," Alfred shrugged. "I'm supposed to act like this."

"You don't see me acting like you," Arthur smirked. "And according to you, I am still a kid."

"There's your problem!" Alfred poked at Arthur's side, earning him an odd look from the latter. "You've loosened up a little, but don't worry, after a while you'll be totally relaxed!"

"Yes, I'm sure," Arthur sighed and stopped walking, leaning against a tree. He looked up and could vaguely see the sky through the trees waving about in the wind.

"There you go again," Alfred sighed, walking in front of him with his arms crossed in front of his chest. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Arthur said pointedly.

"It's obviously something if it keeps coming into your head," Alfred lightly poked Arthur's head.

"It's nothing you need to worry about," Arthur waved his hand away.

"We've been over this and I'm obviously not gonna let it go," Alfred stated. "So tell me."

"I'm homesick," Arthur sighed. "There, are you happy now?"

"You're homesick?" Alfred blinked and seemed to deflate slightly. "For...how long?"

"A couple days," Arthur shrugged.

"Well, that's just great," Alfred sighed, leaning against his own tree and sliding to the ground. Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"What's so wrong with that?" Arthur scoffed.

"It's one of the only things I can't help you with here," Alfred looked up at him. "Say you're hungry or bored and I can help. Bump into something and get hurt, I can be a hero. But once you start to miss home, you always go back."

"I would imagine you're the expert on that field," Arthur stated, starting to almost feel bad that he had told Alfred.

"A lot of people have left," Alfred muttered. "Mattie keeps going back and forth, but every time he goes, it looks like the last. I figured…the way you basically hated home, you would want to stay. At least a little longer."

"You aren't going to start pouting now, are you?" Arthur scoffed. "You keep on talking about being a hero, I think it would be best if you actually acted like one."

"Tell me you don't want to go home," Alfred stated.

Arthur sighed. "I'm sorry, Alfred."

"I made a promise, didn't I?" Alfred stood up, brushing himself off.

"You don't have to bring me back now, Alfred," Arthur shook his head

"Then I guess I'll just be ready for when I do," Alfred stretched.

And for the first time, Alfred left Arthur alone. He just flew away. Arthur let out a groan and leaned his head back against his tree. He had never seen Alfred become so depressed…

"Harsh," Gilbert sighed.

"Were you bloody spying on us!?" Arthur snapped and lifted his head back up, seeing the Bad Touch Trio around him.

"Of course," Francis laughed. "What else would we do?"

"This is the first time he's willingly left you alone, si?" Antonio asked.

"What do you want?" Arthur asked bluntly.

"You two just had a little lovers quarrel, did you not?" Francis asked.

"We are not lovers," Arthur scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Please," Gilbert smirked. "Even you know that's a lie."

"Everyone knows you like him," Antonio stretched. "Except maybe him."

"Looks like you're both horrible at reading the atmosphere," Gilbert laughed.

"What exactly is this leading to?" Arthur asked.

"He is depressed now, non?" Francis asked. "There could be a way to perk him up."

"No," Arthur stated bluntly.

"Why?" Gilbert asked.

"Scared?" Antonio teased.

"Hardly," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"If you let yourself fall into l'amour, you might figure out where you want to be," Francis said.

"It'll be better than just leaving and having you two separated," Gilbert shrugged.

"And what makes you think I need this advice from you lot?" Arthur asked.

"The fact that you just made your boyfriend go and mope?" Gilbert smirked.

"C'est non bon," Francis shook his head.

"Look, I already have enough things to think about," Arthur sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Like what to bring back home?" Antonio raised an eyebrow.

"Sod off, will you?" Arthur glared at him and stood up straight, starting to walk through the trio.

"The only reason he is willing to take you home is because he does love you," Francis stated. "Whether or not he is willing to admit this himself."

Arthur just shook his head and kept walking, hoping to get himself lost in the jungle.

* * *

**Aw...feels... So sad. I had a little trouble with Alfred this chapter. he is supposed to get really depressed. Either that or pissed and I don't think that fits him too well. Every time he's heard someone say they're getting homesick, they've wound up leaving him. And now Arthur's said it. Imagine how that feels. Like a major blow to the chest, man. Oh, and don't worry, there's still plenty of chapters left. But what happens is my little secret. ;P**

**Please review! I've been having trouble writing this lately, I wrote like half of this today when I had all week to work on it. But your reviews really do help me along! So it would be much appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8

Arthur didn't want to tell Alfred he wanted to go home. It had just been a few days, but Arthur found himself unable to stop thinking about home. Alfred was getting slightly hard to find, though, as time went on. He was constantly brooding somewhere on the island Arthur could never get to because he couldn't fly. Arthur couldn't help but brood as well. Francis, Gilbert, and Antonio continued to pester him about his "feelings for Alfred" which Arthur didn't even try to hide anymore.

He'd known he had some sort of feelings for Alfred a while back, but he had just realized what they were recently. According to the trio, Alfred was "obviously head over heels for him," which made wanting to leave even harder on him to decide. He knew he was going to leave eventually, but it was just a matter of how and who.

It turned out, though, Arthur would never have to ask Alfred to bring him home.

One day, when Arthur was walking on his own through the jungle in no hopes to go anywhere, he heard someone land behind him. He half expected it to be Francis there to annoy him again, but the voice made him freeze.

"Come on, then," Alfred sighed. Arthur quickly turned around upon hearing the voice. Alfred still didn't look the same as before, when he was happy and excited. His expression was set into a frown and his eyes looked sad.

"Come again?" Arthur asked.

"You wanna go home, right?" Alfred crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I'm not about to just go back on my promise for you."

"Right now?" Arthur felt rather stupid for asking, but this was his first time seeing Alfred in what felt like days. Very odd in comparison to him never leaving his side.

"Yeah," Alfred said bluntly. "It's been a few days since you said you were home sick. Figured that was enough time, you know, from my vast experience."

"You've just been gone for days and now you simply want to bring me home?" Arthur asked. He'd started out looking all over for him and now he just showed up and wanted to drag him home?

"Look, it's hard enough for me to do it," Alfred's voice shook slightly, but he quickly got it under control. "I can make you go home with Francis or something but I'm sure you dnon't want that. Just let me bring you home be enough of an apology for leaving you."

"But-"

"This is the only time I'm going to offer it," Alfred stated. "It's right now with me, or later with the Trio."

"Alright, then," Arthur muttered.

"And since you probably still don't wanna try to fly, I guess you should just climb onto my back," Alfred sighed and turned around.

"Right," Arthur nodded. Of course, he felt bad for having to leave Alfred, and so that just made it even more awkward when he looped his arms around Alfred's neck and he flew off.

"Don't worry, I don't think anyone missed you," Alfred sighed as they flew right to the sky. Arthur knew the way to get to Neverland; Alfred told him that one. But getting back, Arthur had no clue how to do that one.

"Lovely," Arthur rolled his eyes. Alfred was just acting like a brat now.

"Have you really missed it that much?" Alfred asked, looking back at him for a short while.

"Yes," Arthur sighed. "I have responsibilities to people at home."

"But in Neverland, you don't have to worry about all that," Alfred sighed. "You said you liked it here. What makes the Earth so special compared to here?"

"Because that's my home," Arthur explained. "If I didn't miss it, then I would be concerned. There are certain people I owe things to and I can't just simply ignore my responsibilities."

"I have," Alfred muttered as the sky around then suddenly changed from a bright, cloudless sky to what seemed like the dead of night. Arthur had to blink to grow adjusted to it and was able to quickly see that they were in London.

"And I am sorry," Arthur stated.

"Sorry for what?" Alfred flew faster, a small trace of anger in his voice. "Sorry that I have nothing to go back to? Sorry that the only thing I have is a few friends and an island to consider home?"

"Sorry that I am leaving you," Arthur sighed.

"Why would you be sorry about that?" Alfred snorted.

"I do care for you, Alfred," Arthur stated. Looking down, he could see the familiarity of his neighborhood. Alfred was flying rather quickly, too. This must have been more painful for him that Arthur had thought... "More than I realized at first. I am rather torn between staying with you in my new home or going to my old home."

"And you still chose your old home?" Alfred asked as he lowered their altitude.

"If it is any consolation, I will miss you," Arthur smiled slightly. He could see his home and Alfred quickly flew up to Arthur's still open windowsill.

"I will, too," Alfred smiled as well as he set Arthur down on the windowsill and turned around, still floating in air.

"Will a farewell do for you, or-" Arthur's sentence was cut short as Alfred quickly leaned forward to place a small peck on Arthur's lips.

"That'll be just fine," Alfred smiled slightly, his face a small tint of red as he retreated. Arthur felt his face heat up as well. He was about to say something else, but the idea of sleep swiftly overwhelmed him and so all he could do was wave slightly as he saw Alfred retreat to the moon.

And then he fell asleep.

* * *

Arthur woke up in his bed. He knew he hadn't fallen asleep on it, so how did he get there? He sat up and found that everything was exactly as he had left it. The window was still open, the cold air the same as when he had fallen asleep all that time ago. He was sitting on top of his bed without the comforter over him. And his clothing from his time in Neverland was in perfect shape. No dust or sand or dirt or leaves on it. No rips or stains. Perfect condition, like it was brand new.

Arthur quickly stood up from his bed and went over to his windowsill and looked up at the sky. He looked to where Alfred had flown them when they first met, but there was no second star to the right. Arthur blinked and rubbed his eyes, but the star did not appear.

…

Had that all just been a dream, then?

"No," Arthur muttered to himself. He shook his head and backed up slightly. That could not have been just a dream. The people he'd met, the amazing scenery, the fairies and mermaids… That kiss…

Arthur's fingers ghosted across his lips, as if trying to grasp that farewell kiss. Arthur didn't even get a chance to say anything like goodbye to Alfred. He was definitely not a dream.

Arthur quickly made it out of his room and downstairs, into the kitchen. The clock above the table read 2:30. Since it was still dark out, he assumed that meant in the morning. He looked at the calendar taped onto the refrigerator and found that it was exactly as he had left it. The same day, the same month.

He could have sworn he was in Neverland for at least a couple weeks.

"It couldn't have been a dream," Arthur thought out loud. No one would be awake for it. However, this thought was corrected when he heard the familiar creak of the house that told when someone was nearby. Arthur looked over to his side and found one of the younger boys at the orphanage, Peter, standing in the doorway of the kitchen. It was incredible seeing him again after such a long time…but it had been no time at all.

"Peter," Arthur stated and, without thinking about it, rushed up to him and gave him a hug.

"Are you okay?" Peter shoved him away. "Why aren't you being a jerk and telling me to go back to bed?"

"Would you believe that I missed you?" Arthur chuckled slightly.

"It's been a couple hours," Peter sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Nothing weird has happened?" Arthur asked. "I didn't go missing or anything?"

"No," Peter shook his head. "Why? Were you thinking about running away? You know how many people go missing."

"Yes, I was the one that told you that," Arthur ruffled his hair. "Don't worry about it, lad. Just a dream, then." Arthur frowned at that statement.

That was all he could believe; that it was a dream. How else could he go on some adventure through the stars to an island where boys flew with fairies and Indians and mermaids for weeks? Even some of it was a little fuzzy to him. What were the names of that trio that always hung around him?

"You have some weird dreams," Peter rolled his eyes and turned around. "Well, I was just seeing why you were up so early. Probably getting some snack, right, jerk?"

"Just checking on something," Arthur smiled. Whatever that dream was, it made him appreciate his home more…

"You're weird," Peter muttered and turned around, going back upstairs.

"Indeed I am," Arthur smiled softly and stood up. He slowly walked towards the stairs and back up.

It must have been a dream…right? Neverland does not exist. There was no possible way it could. It was just his overactive imagination. He was nervous about having to turn 18 and go on his own, after all. It was all about escaping responsibilities. But he couldn't just go and run off with some Alfred and expect a happily ever after. Those kinds of things existed with the fairies; in dreams.

As Arthur walked back into his room, he saw a faint twinkle of a light in the corner of his eye and swiftly turned around to see what it was. But it was gone as soon as it appeared and Arthur couldn't find it. Arthur simply shook his head. It was nothing. What else could it be other than nothing? A fairy?

Yes…

Just a dream…

* * *

**Sorry this chapter's a little short, there wasn't much to put in it... And also, just to make myself clear, Peter is Sealand. Peter and Arthur are sort of close, of course Artur will try to get closer to him now... Do you all think it was just a dream? Obviously the story isn't finished, but I can go wherever the hell I want to from here, so...**

**And please review, dudes! It's the bestest thing you can do!**


	9. Chapter 9

Arthur never realized how long months were until these last two had passed. Time seemed to pass in super slow motion and the world was anything but kind.

Crazy.

Insane.

Delusional.

Lost cause.

Arthur had grown used to these words. Everyone he had met had said it to him or about him. He knew it was true; all of it. Ever since that damn dream of his, he had been seeing things. It started with fairies, who led him to swat and yell at nothing when he got annoyed at them. Then he saw people that weren't really there. That Trio or Alfred or other people he had seen in his dream. They would appear out of nowhere and say things to him. When Arthur replied to them, everyone assumed he was delusional. He had learned to simply ignore them, but it was too late.

It was the day before Arthur's 18th birthday, the day before he was going to be kicked out, and he didn't have a job. No one trusted him enough to be able to do anything, whether that be on his own or with his imaginary friends. As every day went past, the visions got worse. More would show up and pester him until he would just yell at them. What was the point in trying to stay secretive about it? He was known everywhere as the crazy boy who was trapped between reality and his imagination.

This night, just like any other night, Arthur sat in his bed, staying up late and looking through his open window. He hated closing it. His mind told him Alfred would come back. Though, he had seen Alfred several times before, flying around and ruining his jobs. But Arthur could never hate Alfred. His mind had created him as some form of happiness. Every time he showed up, Arthur would laugh.

Arthur rather wished he would show up right now…

"Alfred," Arthur muttered, hugging his legs as he tucked them close to him. All of his responsibilities were crashing down on him at once. He could use a good laugh right now. But all he was getting was irritated tears as he tried to get his frustration out. And yet, he couldn't help but laugh. He would give anything to find that dream again.

"Arthur?" Alfred's voice asked. Arthur glanced up at his window and found Alfred landing on the floor in front of the window. He was a little different than the other times Arthur had seen him. Usually, he was happy and laughing and running around. Now, he looked shocked and sad.

"So now you show up?" Arthur chuckled. So maybe this Alfred looked different, but that didn't mean he wasn't still just in his head.

"Arthur, what's happened?" Alfred asked as Arthur cast his look down to his knees.

"Like you don't know," Arthur muttered. He had to remind himself that Alfred wasn't real, that he wasn't really there.

"I wouldn't have let you come home if I knew you would turn out like this," Alfred said and Arthur heard slow footsteps go near his bed. All just a part of his imagination.

"Then why did you?" Arthur laughed. He didn't care how loud he got, everyone in this house knew he was insane already.

"You said you wanted to," Alfred said sadly.

"Like Hell," Arthur shook his head, fresh tears coming into his eyes. He could even hear his voice wavering as he spoke.

"Arthur, tell me what happened," Alfred said and Arthur glanced up to see that he was kneeling next to his bed, looking right into his eyes.

"Just like right now, I'm seeing things," Arthur shook his head and forced himself to look away.

"Arthur, I'm real, I'm right here," Alfred stated.

"No, you're not," Arthur gripped at his head. "Just go away, you're not helping like I thought you would."

"Arthur…I'm not going anywhere." Arthur felt a hand on his own and flinched away from it.

"You're not here," Arthur muttered. Surprisingly enough, the parents in charge of the orphanage actually cared enough to try to fix him and he was sent to a therapist. She was the one that taught Arthur the mantra. "You're not here. You're not here."

"Arthur, I am here," Alfred muttered.

"No, you're not," Arthur shook his head furiously.

"I should never have let you leave," Alfred sighed and the hand moved to Arthur's hair.

"Just go away," Arthur mumbled.

"Do you want to go back?" Alfred asked.

"Where?" Arthur whispered. That was the loudest he could be without having his trembling voice betray himself. He had to upkeep his image, even around his own imagination.

"Neverland."

"Of course I do," Arthur laughed slightly. "I've been trying…" No matter how hard Arthur tried to remember the dream, he couldn't get it back. That second star to the right would never appear. But the fairies and the mermaids and the people just kept coming. As if the island never existed and they all simply lived there.

"I'm really sorry this happened to you," Alfred continued to run a comforting hand through Arthur's hair. But Arthur knew it was nothing. It was always nothing. "I should never have let you go…"

"You've done nothing," Arthur shook his head.

"But this is all my fault," Alfred sighed. "If I hadn't picked you up and made you stay… If I hadn't let you go…"

"Are you trying to get me to hate you?" Arthur glanced up at him.

"No," Alfred smiled slightly and used both of his thumbs to wipe away Arthur's tears. Or, at least try. Even though it felt like Alfred was touching him, nothing was. "Do you really want to go back? I can help you."

"You've said that too many times," Arthur muttered, looking away from him.

"I have," Alfred sighed. "But I don't mean them any less. Will you let me take you back?"

"Sure," Arthur laughed. "It won't do anything. Like always, nothing will happen."

"It's okay," Alfred ran his hand through Arthur's hair again. "I'll try to make it up to you."

"No you won't," Arthur shook his head. He yawned, feeling his fatigue catching up to him. Usually, Arthur couldn't just fall asleep. He had to simply stay up and talk to whatever happened to come by that night until he passed out.

He vaguely felt himself get picked up, but he knew he wasn't really going anywhere, and Alfred said something. But Arthur couldn't make it out and then he fell asleep.

* * *

"It'll be okay. I promise," Alfred muttered, looking down at the sleeping Brit in his arms. He had dark circles under his eyes that showed just how badly he needed this sleep. If Alfred had known it would be this bad to leave him, he would never have even let Arthur think about it. If he had seen Alfred plenty of times before, then that meant that he had seen other things. The only way to fix this, then, Alfred decided, was to bring Arthur back.

Arthur didn't even stir as Alfred started towards the windowsill and stepped onto it. Arthur sounded almost crazy when he was talking, switching easily between crying and laughing. How long had he been this bad? Alfred had heard of a lot of people that would simply dismiss Neverland as a dream. Most of the people who came back did that. Apparently, if one had no way to get to it, they couldn't even see the second star to the right.

Alfred figured Arthur would just dismiss them all like a dream. Even Alfred. That was the part that hurt the most. That was probably why Alfred allowed himself to kiss Arthur; because Arthur wouldn't remember it and just dismiss it.

But apparently, it was a bigger part of Arthur than anyone would have thought. Alfred knew a few of the fairies had gone to visit him on occasion, but Arthur would either ignore them or get mad at them. So, after a while, they stopped showing up. It appeared that Arthur just couldn't stop thinking about Neverland. Perhaps his dreams when he was asleep were happy.

Alfred sighed, stepping off the windowsill. He floated for a moment, adjusting to the weight he hadn't had to carry for quite a long time. Two months out here was quite a while back at Neverland. A few things had changed, too. Feli and Lovi had left, leaving Antonio in a small pit of sadness that the Trio had to help him get over. And Mattie had even decided to go home, but Alfred knew he was coming back. The mermaids and fairies had grown uneasy without Arthur around and they were always around Alfred, as if making sure Arthur wasn't there anymore.

Alfred began flying and Arthur didn't make any move to signal that he was actually alive. He seemed to be in such a deep sleep, it was almost like he fainted. Was his sleep always like this? Alfred shook his head as he began flying towards the second star to the right.

When he got back to Neverland, he would make sure Arthur didn't leave. Arthur had to stay. Obviously, him being away from Neverland was bad for his health. So it was Alfred's duty to ensure that Arthur would not have to endure this ever again.

Alfred softly kissed Arthur's forehead as they continued along. He had tried not to visit Arthur, knowing what it would do to him. He was very happy he finally did. The one time he just had to chance a glance at him, he overheard Arthur mumbling about him. Alfred really hoped that Arthur would be able to get over this soon. They could have fun again and Alfred would make sure Arthur was never far from him. Arthur was going to have a happy laugh again. Not this hurt, pitched laugh that Arthur did only to overcome crying.

"I promise," Alfred muttered. "You'll be okay again. You'll be happy. And with me. I'm sure you'll like that."

Arthur didn't move in response; he simply laid there.

And, for the first time, it was nighttime when Alfred flew into Neverland.

* * *

**You know, I feel slightly bad for doing this to Arthur. But, apparently, I was getting bored and needed to screw with someone. And who do I chose? Arthur, of course. If you read some of my other stories, like Too Much or A Western Love Story, you'll see what I mean. I'm so horrible to Arthur sometimes... Anyway, this marks a perspective switch to Alfred for the time being, because Arthur is a little unstable at the moment. But, don't worry, he'll get better!**

**Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Alfred heaved a heavy sigh as he flew towards the island. He could see a vague light that indicated there was a fire on the beach. He figured that must have been the trio, since they never stayed with the Indians and never really stayed in the jungle unless it was daytime. Alfred headed for there and looked down at Arthur. He still didn't show any sign of being alive, save for his faint breathing. Alfred really did feel horrible for what happened to him…it was all his fault…

Alfred could hear the trio long before he landed on the beach, but he chose to ignore them in favor of looking down at Arthur. The trio did stop talking, though, once Alfred came close.

"What? Did you kidnap him or something?" Gilbert laughed once Alfred landed on the ground.

"He said he wanted to come back," Alfred said somberly and the laughing mood the trio just had was gone.

"Mon Dieu, he looks terrible," Francis stated and the tree of them stumbled towards him.

"What happened to him?" Antonio asked.

"It's all my fault," Alfred sighed. Before he could say any more, though, a sudden swarm of fairies attacked him, most of them collecting around Arthur. There were a few of them that flew up to Alfred's face, pointing to the ground. "O-Okay, jeez, I'll set him down." Alfred carefully set Arthur down on the sand, where his head limply fell to the side. Immediately, all of the fairies swarmed around him and Alfred could even see the mermaids coming as close as they could without getting out of the water.

"Looks like they missed him," Gilbert stated.

"What was that about it being your fault?" Antonio asked.

"I…I let him go back," Alfred muttered. He had to look down at the ground to prevent himself from being seen with tears forming in his eyes. That wasn't heroic at all…

"What are you talking about?" Francis asked.

"Usually, people don't react as bad as him when he leave," Alfred muttered. "They just pass it off as a dream. But it affected him differently. He's been seeing things…practically going insane. You should have heard him talk to me. He was trying to convince himself I wasn't there…"

"And you brought him back?" Gilbert asked.

"He said he wanted to…" Alfred mumbled. "And I couldn't stand seeing him like that…"

"Your amour may have been better off back there," Francis stated.

"You didn't see him," Alfred shook his head and looked up. He tried to compose himself, but he saw how the trio reacted to his distraught face. "He…he talked to me like he'd seen be so many times before. Like I'd let him down so many times. I'm supposed to be the hero…his hero! And I just made his life miserable!"

"You could have made it worse by bringing him back," Antonio muttered.

"But-"

"He is waking up," Francis stated and Alfred's attention snapped to Arthur. The fairies allowed faint space to see, but Alfred could tell that Arthur was finally stirring.

"Arthur…" Alfred muttered and knelt down next to him. He swatted at the fairies, making them move out of the way.

"More fairies," Arthur grumbled as he slowly opened his eyes. Alfred watched as Arthur blinked to steady his vision and finally Arthur noticed him. "Not you again…" Arthur made a move to roll over, but Alfred stopped him.

"Arthur, I'm real," Alfred stated. "You can feel me, right?"

"I've felt many things," Arthur shook his head. Suddenly, though, a confused look came across his face. "Sand?"

"Yeah, you're on the beach," Alfred nodded, giving a weak smile. "In Neverland."

"I've never been able to get that dream back," Arthur mumbled and slowly sat up. He looked around their surroundings, seeming to take it in for the first time.

"This ain't a dream, kid," Gilbert chuckled behind them and Arthur immediately looked over at the Trio.

"You?" Arthur asked, shaking his head slightly. "It's just a dream, though…"

"Arthur, I'm not a dream," Alfred stated, looking Arthur in the eye. "I promise, I'm not going to hurt you anymore."

Arthur simply stared at him for a while, as if he was trying to process all of this. Suddenly, a fairly large group of fairies sprinkled their pixie dust over his head, coating him in gold dust. At first, Alfred glared at them for ruining whatever moment he was about to have with Arthur. But then Arthur started doing something Alfred would never had expected.

He was laughing.

It wasn't that crazy laugh, either. It was a real, full-hearted laugh. Arthur had to hold onto his stomach because it hurt that much. He laughed for a while and all Alfred could do was sit and watch in confusion. He even looked to the trio to see if they could be of any help, but they just shrugged at him.

When Alfred turned back, Arthur seemed to be slowing down with his laughter. Before Alfred could even try to say anything to him, Arthur gripped onto Alfred's shirt and lurched him forward, making their lips connect. Alfred opened his eyes wide in response. He had no idea what was going on with Arthur. Maybe this was the insanity talking, but it was really freaking him out.

Alfred gripped onto Arthur's shoulders and pulled him away. He could hear the trio laughing behind them and Arthur looked honestly confused.

"What was that for?" Alfred asked breathlessly. This was all just confusing... What had gotten into Arthur.

"You were the one that kissed me first, love," Arthur smirked.

"Yeah, before I figured you hated me," Alfred muttered.

"Why would I hate you?" Arthur chuckled. Suddenly, he looked very drowsy, his eyes nearly fully lidding over.

"Are you okay?" Alfred put his hand up to Arthur's forehead. It didn't feel hot, so he probably wasn't having some weird fever induced hallucination moment.

"I'm fine, love," Arthur smiled.

"Then why are you calling me that?" Alfred asked. "Usually, you stick to git or twat."

"Those words sound good in your accent," Arthur wobbled slightly before his eyes closed and he fell forward. Alfred caught him so he wouldn't fall face-first in to the sand and carefully set him on his side.

"What the hell was that?" Gilbert burst out laughing.

"I don't know," Alfred muttered. He almost felt bad. Was this another part of the insanity that Arthur had? Random confidence out of nowhere?

"It seems that he is worse off than you let on," Francis smirked. "He actually showed his feelings."

"This isn't funny," Alfred groaned, running a hand through his hair. Arthur was sleeping soundly once again, but this time he had a soft smile on his face. It would have been cute, if it weren't for his episode before.

"I think it is," Antonio laughed.

"What should I do?" Alfred asked. He knew that these three were not the people he wanted to ask for something like this, but they were all he had other than the fairies and mermaids. And Alfred was pretty sure that they hated him for what happened to Arthur.

"Wait for him to wake up," Francis offered.

"Maybe we'll get even more of a kick out of him," Gilbert chuckled. "We should stick around for a while."

"Maybe we shouldn't mi amigo," Antonio stated.

"You're just sappy from Feli and Lovi," Gilbert rolled his eyes.

"Well, si,' Antonio nodded.

"You should probably leave," Alfred muttered, sitting in a more comfortable position in front of Arthur. "Maybe when he wakes up, he'll be thinking better and I can talk to him."

"It would be the best way for this amour to bloom," Francis offered.

"You guys are such killjoys," Gilbert groaned. "Fine, whatever. We'll find some other patch of beach to sleep on. Fire's all yours."

"Thanks," Alfred stated and didn't bother to look behind himself to see if the three of them had flown off. Arthur was more important right now.

* * *

It was fairly late into the morning before Arthur stirred again. By then, Alfred had carried him over so that he was near the fire. It seemed like he was having good dreams because, every now and then, he would start to float. Alfred had to remember Arthur had only experienced the pixie dust for a few hours. It was hard to get used to and keep under control. He figured that might had been to blame for the outburst Arthur had earlier…

Alfred had nearly fallen asleep multiple times and he pretty much was when Arthur woke up once again.

"Alfred?" Arthur's voice snapped Alfred awake and he immediately sat upright.

"You're awake," Alfred looked him over. He seemed fine now…

"Yes, I do believe so," Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" Alfred asked, leaning towards him to look him over better.

"Yes, I'm fine," Arthur nodded. "Why?"

"Do you remember what happened last night?" Alfred asked, biting his lip. He knew Arthur would remember home and that was never a good thing. Especially considering what Arthur had gone through away from Neverland.

"Not very well," Arthur shook his head slowly.

"Really?" Alfred asked.

"Should I?" Arthur asked.

"No," Alfred shook his head quickly. The longer he could put this off, the better. Granted, that wasn't his best decision, but this was Arthur he was talking about. He just got him back and he wasn't about to lose him again. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Okay, then," Arthur blinked.

"You aren't even a little curious as to how you got here?" Alfred asked. How was Arthur so calm? From what Alfred saw last night, Arthur should have been some sort of a wreck.

"I assume you carried me," Arthur sighed, letting a small smile stretch across his lips.

"Uh, pretty much," Alfred nodded. "You're not mad or anything?"

"Why would I be mad?" Arthur chuckled and stood up, dusting himself off to get rid of the sand. Alfred stayed sitting, looking up at him. Something was off here…

"Because you're away from home?" Alfred asked.

"Why would I be mad about that?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Because you should miss it? You had things to do? I don't know," Alfred shrugged.

"You're making no sense, love," Arthur shook his head.

"Y-you called me love again," Alfred quickly stood up.

"You have a problem with it?" Arthur asked. "The one who kissed me?"

"Well, um, not really," Alfred rubbed the back of his head. "You don't have a problem with it?"

"I figured I had come to terms with it when I kissed you," Arthur smirked.

"So you do remember last night!" Alfred stated.

"Small bits," Arthur chuckled.

"So…we're all good?" Alfred asked. "No problems?"

"I didn't think there were any problems to begin with," Arthur stated.

"Well, as long as you're cool, I'm cool," Alfred muttered. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yes, Alfred, I'm fine," Arthur walked up to him and gave him a small, short peck on the lips.

"Okay, sweet," Alfred couldn't help but smile. Arthur was fine, it seemed that he was over his episode, and they were…together? Would that describe what was going on between them? "So, what do you wanna do now?"

"Have I ever supplied you good ideas?" Arthur raised his eyebrow.

"True," Alfred laughed slightly. "Oh, hey, the fairies just gave you pixie dust."

"They what?" Arthur blinked and looked down at himself.

"Relax, dude, you can't see it," Alfred laughed.

"Why, exactly, did they give me pixie dust?" Arthur asked.

"Hell do I know," Alfred shrugged. "I could spend the day teaching you how to fly right."

"It can't be that hard to need an entire day to learn how to do it," Arthur scoffed.

"Yeah, it might take a couple," Alfred said thoughtfully and pulled his arm around Arthur's shoulders and led him to the jungle.

"How hard can it be?" Arthur asked. "After all, you can do it."

"After about a hundred years of practice," Alfred said pointedly.

"Whatever, I'm sure I can get it," Arthur rolled his eyes.

* * *

**Spoiler alert: Arthur doesn't get it. Anyway, I know it seems like Arthur got over it all really quickly, but there's a reason for that, so don't fret, I know what I'm doing. Next chapter we'll get a little bit of fluff before going back to angst in the future. Flying lessons! Yay!**

**Please review!**


	11. Chapter 11

Arthur was not very good at flying. Alfred had to hold back his laughter. He figured it would have been best to start with hovering just a few inches from the ground so Arthur couldn't hurt himself. Apparently, it was a lot harder than Alfred thought.

Alfred, the experienced flyer, was happily hovering perfectly, only moving up and down slightly. Arthur, on the other hand, appeared to think that waving his arms would help him keep his balance that Alfred wasn't sure how he lost.

"You make this look bloody easy," Arthur grumbled.

"That's because it's supposed to be," Alfred laughed. "I was just kidding around the first time. Mastering flying can be done in, like, 10 minutes. The old Lost Boys leader could get someone from Earth and they were flying by the time they got here."

"Then, how is this supposed to be easy?" Arthur glared at him.

"Let me, see," Alfred tapped his chin. "Faith, trust, and pixie dust… I don't think you have those first two."

"What does faith and trust have to do with anything?" Arthur landed on the ground.

"Part of the gig," Alfred shrugged. "I don't question it."

"Faith and trust in what?" Arthur asked.

"I guess it's just generic?" Alfred muttered. "I have no idea."

"Then how does that help me?" Arthur crossed his arms over his chest crossly. Alfred knew he was supposed to be mad, but it always looked so freaking adorable when he did that! Alfred really just wanted to go up to him and hug him like crazy.

"How about you try thinking about a happy thought, first?" Alfred asked. "Usually helps a lot."

"Happy thought?" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, don't ask me," Alfred put his hands in front of himself. "A happy thought will get you in the air. Faith and trust will help you control it. I'm pretty sure there was a reason you only got an inch off the ground."

"What the bloody hell is an inch?" Arthur asked.

"What's that European equivalent to an inch then?" Alfred asked. "A meter?"

"That wasn't a meter, Alfred," Arthur shook his head. "That was a couple centimeters."

"Then, there you go," Alfred nodded happily.

"Happy thought?" Arthur asked and Alfred nodded again. "Fine." Arthur straightened himself out and closed his eyes, obviously trying to think of a good happy thought. Alfred chuckled to himself. Normally, a happy thought could simply come to someone. Then again, Arthur was different than everyone else.

Assuming that Arthur needed some help, Alfred quickly came towards him and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Arthur's eyes shot open to give him a ridiculous stare.

"What was that for?" Arthur asked, an obvious blush rising to his face. Alfred noticed Arthur was quickly starting to rise from the ground, but decided to keep even with him, so not to freak him out too soon.

"Happy thought?" Alfred smirked.

"I was doing just fine on my own!" Arthur snapped and tried to turn away, the blush still present on his face. But Alfred used his hand to keep Arthur looking at him.

"Well, guess what that did?" Alfred asked happily and looked down at the ground, which was nearly out of sight. They had nearly breached the top of the trees.

"Wha-" immediately Arthur started to freak out. His arms and legs seemed to spasm, and Alfred had to hold onto his arms to get him to stop.

"Hey, you're fine," Alfred smiled and made them stop now that they were above the trees. "I've got you."

"Why is your grammar always so atrocious?" Arthur chuckled, shaking his head. But he bit his lip as he looked down. "So, what is your lesson now?"

"Now's your faith and trust bit," Alfred smiled. "How about we try putting your faith and trust into me. I won't go anywhere, alright?"

"Fine," Arthur nodded slowly.

"Okay," Alfred nodded. "I'm gonna let go now. In 3…2…1." And Alfred let go.

Arthur simply stared at him, obviously trying not to think about how high up they were.

"See? You're a natural," Alfred smiled. "Now, come on, let's go take another tour."

"What?" Arthur asked as Alfred grabbed onto his hand and started flying.

"Well, your first tour was pretty lame," Alfred shrugged. "Now that you can fly, though, and I have unlimited time, we can go everywhere!"

"And why do we have to take a second tour?" Arthur asked.

"Practice mobility," Alfred smiled back at him and Arthur rolled his eyes. "Check it out, though, this is pretty cool." Alfred flew towards the rainbow that stretched over the entire island on rare days. Because of the logic of the island, once could actually go up and touch it. So, Alfred happily flew over it and skimmed his hand through it, a flurry of colors coming from his hand.

"How?" Arthur muttered and looked down at it.

"I can tell you wanna try it," Alfred stopped, hovering just above the rainbow.

"Alright," Arthur gave him an odd glance and tentatively touched the rainbow, almost as if it would kill him. But it simply died his finger tip red, the color where he touched it.

"You can also try this," Alfred let go of Arthur for a second and dropped through the rainbow before going back through it to fly next to Arthur again. Looking down at himself, he found that he was died a couple different colors, but they quickly faded.

"That is insane," Arthur laughed and Alfred couldn't help but smile at it.

"There's a lot more you didn't get to see the first time," Alfred winked and held onto Arthur's hand and started to pull him along to another location. He knew Arthur would like this one, considering the way he had acted around the fairies in the forest the first time they did this.

Alfred was able to quickly find the mermaid lagoon, where several mermaids were lazing on rocks in the sun. Arthur did smile at the sight and Alfred helped him lower down so that he landed on a rock near one. Alfred did have multiple issues with letting Arthur be so close to these creatures; he had seen what they had done to a lot of other people on this island. But Arthur seemed to have a way with magical creatures, if they had willingly saved him when he nearly drowned.

Plus, the smile on that face and hearing that laugh would make anything worth it.

"Still wanna see more?" Alfred asked and the mermaids made a move to hold on tighter to Arthur. Alfred understood they probably didn't trust him with him after what had happened, but Arthur seemed perfectly fine. "Hey, I promise I'll keep him safe."

"I won't be leaving any time soon," Arthur smiled at them. They all smiled back, not the horrible, terrifying, toothy smile Alfred had seen them give on many an occasion. But a pretty, human smile that showed that they were actually happy…and not trying to rip off your flesh.

"You wanna go exploring now?" Alfred asked, helping Arthur up so that he was floating, too.

"How about we just relax?" Arthur laughed.

"But, you just came back," Alfred smiled. "I mean, a lot changed when you were gone and…well, I missed you."

"Where did I go off to?" Arthur asked.

"Home?" Alfred asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"My home is here, love," Arthur smiled and started towards the beach. "How about we just sit and you can help me with this 'catching up' I seem to need?"

"Uh-hu…" Alfred muttered, not really trusting Arthur's judgment at this point. Maybe he was just blocking out home for the time being because of what had happened before… "Maybe we should relax."

And so they both started to the beach for a nice day of…relaxing.

* * *

**Bah, I keep on coming up with short chapters... What is this? Whatever, now Arthur can fly, but something's off. You'll find out next chapter, which I am deeply hoping will turn out to be longer...**

**Please review! It really inspires me to write!**


	12. Chapter 12

It had been a couple days, and Alfred was only getting more and more confused. Arthur was happy and laughing and…having fun. It wasn't that Alfred was complaining, he was more than happy to see Arthur with that smile on his face and to hear that beautiful laugh. But something was definitely wrong. Alfred had (more than a few times) tried to brave the subject of Arthur before he got here the second time.

And Arthur simply gave him a confused look and passed it off in favor of practicing flying some more. He still wasn't the best, Alfred had to help him more than a few times to get off the ground, and Alfred had a feeling that it was because of the fact he was avoiding talking about what happened.

Alfred could feel it weighing down heavily on his conscience and he knew he would have to have a serious talk with Arthur eventually, but every time he had tried, it seemed like Arthur didn't even know what he was talking about. Something had to be wrong.

Alfred decided one day that they should just hang out on the beach; watch the clouds, look at the mermaids, collect shells, or whatever Arthur wanted to do. It seemed like, recently, Arthur was restless, like he always had to be on the move. Perhaps it was the pixie dust, but it seemed to Alfred like it had to be more than that.

"Alright," Alfred sighed a very deep sigh. "I'm gonna ask again."

"About what?" Arthur glanced at him before turning back to the clouds.

"Do you even remember being at home?" Alfred asked, feeling slightly aggravated at how Arthur seemed to be avoiding this.

"I've told you this before," Arthur stated, still staring at the sky. "I was not at home before this. I don't even remember whatever this 'home' is."

"Really?" Alfred sat up and looked down at Arthur, who was still laying down. "Nothing?"

"What even is there to know?" Arthur asked.

"What's the earliest thing you remember?" Alfred asked.

"Being here, with you," Arthur looked up at him.

"That's not right," Alfred shook his head.

"Of course it is," Arthur rolled his eyes and sat up to look Alfred in the face. "I've always been here."

"No, you haven't," Alfred stated.

"Yes, I have," Arthur stated. "Have you been having weird dreams lately, or something?"

"You don't remember your home?" Alfred asked. "Your orphanage thing? The parents? That kid, Peter? You almost turning 18?"

"What the bloody hell are you even talking about?" Arthur scoffed, but he held onto his head like he was having a headache.

"What about you…" Alfred wasn't exactly sure how he wanted to phrase this next part. "People thinking you were going crazy? When you were seeing things?"

"What are you-" Arthur winced at this new headache when, suddenly, Alfred saw a couple fairies fly over Arthur and sprinkle pixie dust over him.

"What?" Alfred muttered.

"What were you saying?" Arthur shook his head.

"Do you not remember the conversation we were just having?" Alfred asked.

"Last I remember, you said you wanted to watch the clouds," Arthur stated.

"What?" Alfred asked. He saw the fairies fly over his own head and he quickly flew to a standing position behind them. "What did you just do?"

The fairies all exchanged a quick glance at each other before darting into the jungle.

"Hey, come back here!" Alfred quickly followed after them.

"Alfred!" Arthur yelled after him and followed Alfred closely behind, but Alfred stared ahead at the fairies. He had almost lost them several times, but they eventually stopped and Alfred stopped next to them.

"What did you do?" Alfred asked and the fairies exchanged depressed glances.

"Alfred, what was that?" Arthur demanded, landing next to him.

"Are you the reason Arthur can't remember his home?" Alfred asked and the fairies all slowly nodded.

"What is going on here?" Arthur demanded.

"You made him forget?" Alfred asked. He didn't want to ignore Arthur, but figuring out what the fairies were doing was more important. "Why?"

The fairies all quickly flew over to Arthur, who took a startled step back. Alfred saw them sadly look at him and shake their heads.

"You didn't want to see him sad?" Alfred asked. He had to say, he knew how they felt, but the most pressing matter at hand was…how?

"What are you talking about?" Arthur asked, his voice growing slightly nervous.

"How did you make him forget?" Alfred asked.

"Forget what!?" Arthur demanded.

The fairies looked at each other before sprinkling a very small amount of pixie dust into the air above his head.

"The pixie dust?" Alfred felt his stomach drop. Did this mean that the pixie dust affected them all?

"Alfred!" Arthur snapped and Alfred finally looked at him. "What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

Alfred didn't say anything; he simply pulled Arthur into a hug. At first, Arthur shouted obscenities at him and tried to get out, but he eventually gave up and went limp. Alfred could honestly say that he had no idea what to do at this point. Arthur really had forgotten, and it was because of the pixie dust…Everyone used pixie dust… What were they all forgetting?

"Alfred?" Arthur muttered and looked up at Alfred, who looked away from him and at the fairies.

"Can you give him those memories back?" Alfred asked.

"What memories?" Arthur scoffed. The fairies exchanged a worried glance and even seemed to try to be talking with each other. Eventually, they all turned to Alfred and gave a shaky nod.

"What about mine?" Alfred asked nervously. "Did you take any of mine?"

The fairies nodded and, for once, Arthur stayed quiet. It was almost like he was nervous, too.

"Then give those back, too," Alfred muttered and tucked his head so that it hid in Arthur's hair. He had no idea what it would feel like to get a lost memory back, or what he could possibly feel. What if any of the others had this happen to them, too? Maybe that was what made them stay for so long.

Suddenly, Alfred felt something like a jolt and felt…

There was no other way to explain it than…whole.

He had known about his life before Neverland before; his brother, his popularity, the customs, and even that one War… But now it felt like all of these holes were filled in. His parents, his schooling, his…everything. A sudden feeling of guilt wracked him at the same time a wave of grief hit him. Everyone he knew, everything he went to…was either dead or out of business. He had probably lived longer than any human, but he had hardly ever stepped foot on Earth. He just simply left everyone and everything in favor of just running off to have fun.

Alfred was only snapped out of this revelation when Arthur started punching him and finally escaped out of his grasp.

"Alfred, what the bloody hell?" Arthur snapped at him, and this time he actually sounded angry. Like, pissed.

"But…" Alfred held onto his head. He wasn't sure if he could deal with Arthur right now with what had just hit him.

"Of course this rotten dream had to come back," Arthur scoffed angrily and stomped off in the other direction. Alfred guessed that neither of them could figure out how to fly with their emotions the way they were.

"Arthur, wait," Alfred quickly ran after him and easily made it so that he stopped in front of Arthur, making him stop as well.

"You were the one that took me home last time, correct?" Arthur glared at him. "Take me back now."

"You were the one who told me you wanted to come back," Alfred stated, trying to shove his own mental breakdown back for a little while.

"While I was mentally unstable!" Arthur yelled at him. "I know this is a dream now and it appears that the only way to wake up is for you to bring me 'home.' So do that now."

"But, you were miserable," Alfred muttered.

"That's life," Arthur stated. "Now take. Me. Back."

"One night," Alfred stated.

"Not another one of your blasted tricks-"

"Not a trick, I swear," Alfred sighed. "I've got shit to deal with, same as you, alright? Just got a bombshell of my own. You can think I'm not real but what I'm feeling is very much real, so give me one night to pull myself together so I can actually fly."

"Break of dawn, then," Arthur shoved past him and towards where the beach was.

"What the hell was that?" Gilbert asked, landing behind Alfred.

"Not now," Alfred gripped onto his head and leaned against the closest tree. He wasn't entirely sure if he needed to hit something, or scream, or break down and cry, or…all three.

"What happened between the two of you?" Francis asked.

"Are all three of you just stalking us now, is that it?" Alfred snapped, and immediately regretted it. He didn't mean to come off this irritated, but it just happened.

"What happened to you?" Antonio asked.

Alfred sucked in a deep breath so that he wouldn't cry in front of these three and simply slid to the ground. "Apparently, Arthur and I seemed depressed to the fairies and they decided to take it upon themselves to cheer us up. By making us forget about home…"

"So that's why the stiff was actually laughing," Gilbert muttered.

"Not a good time to be funny, mon ami," Francis sighed.

"Arthur's hell-bent on going back now…" Alfred muttered.

"Well, everyone has to leave eventually," Antonio stated and Alfred looked up at him. Words of wisdom from him? It wasn't exactly expected… "We are not meant to stay here forever. Maybe the fairies like you so much, they wanted you two to try and stay."

"Deep," Gilbert shrugged. "Didn't know you had that in you."

"His amour did just leave," Francis stated.

"He's probably going to stay home this time," Alfred stated. He wasn't entirely sure what he would do now. He probably wouldn't be able to stay in Neverland anymore. He missed so much on Earth already, and he would have to grow up eventually. Maybe he could just follow Arthur's lead…

"And what are you going to do?" Francis asked.

"I…I don't know," Alfred held onto his head tighter. "I don't have anywhere to go, I'm not 18 yet, but…I can't come back here."

"You could find Birdie," Gilbert offered.

"I don't even know where he went this time," Alfred sighed.

"He said something about trying England," Antonio shrugged.

"Really?" Alfred asked.

"You should listen to your frère more," Francis smirked. "Now you just need to decide on what to do once you touch back down on Earth."

* * *

**Sorry for the extra long wait! I am very, very sorry! I had this sort of mental breakdown last week, to the point where I just cried in a ball in front of my locker, and so I decided to just focus on school for that week and so I had to write this week and update now. I am really sorry, but my mental health went down the drain. I'm all better now, though!**

**There will probably be about 2 more chapters after this one, from what I'm thinking in my head, so there's only two weeks there.**

**Please review! It will make me happy!**


	13. Chapter 13

Alfred let out a large sigh, staring up at the stars through the trees while sitting on one of the branches. He had told Arthur one night, but that was plenty more than he needed. By now, he was just stalling for time. If they both went down to Earth, the likelihood of actually seeing each other again would be slim. Even though Arthur hated him right now, Alfred didn't want to say goodbye. He probably couldn't, so it was a good thing Arthur would probably just slam his window closed and go to sleep again.

"You know, pouting won't do you any good," Gilbert yelled at him from the ground.

"I know…" Alfred sighed, not even looking down at him. He knew that the other two of the trio were probably down there with them.

"Sour puss is being pissy, so I ditched the others to see if you were the same," Gilbert chuckled.

"The others aren't with you?" Alfred looked down at him and, sure enough, he was alone.

"Toni's new words of wisdom seem to be helping slightly, but not much," Gilbert shrugged. "He's hell bent on this being a dream."

"I noticed," Alfred sighed and looked back up at the stars.

"Jeez, if I knew you were this pissy, I wouldn't have left the damn beach," Gilbert groaned.

"I just…" Alfred muttered. "I've been here so long, not giving a shit…and then everyone I knew is dead by now…I shouldn't even exist anymore. I even remember being around the old group of Lost Boys, but they left. All of them, and I was alone until the fairies made me forget and more people showed up."

"I get it, your life sucks," Gilbert sighed. "Mine does to, why the hell do you think I'm here? Because I'm so awesome I floated all the way here? I ran away."

"I did, too," Alfred stated.

"If you want a pep talk, you ain't getting it from me," Gilbert stated. "That's Toni's job, apparently. What you have going on isn't bad. Kind of a clean slate. I would kill for a chance like that. Probably won't be able to, though. Luddie'll kill me the second I step foot back in our house."

"I know Mattie will probably let me stay with him until I get on my feet," Alfred muttered, mainly to himself. "Then I have to figure out what the hell to do."

"And what better way than to be shoved right into the mess?" Gilbert asked.

"I…I guess I should get to Arthur now, shouldn't I?" Alfred asked, beginning to see a faint glow in the sky that meant the sun was coming up.

"Unless you want him whining some more about this little 'dream' of ours," Gilbert cackled.

"Shut up," Alfred groaned. He sat up and decided to test if he was happy enough to fly yet. With one hand on a steady branch, Alfred closed his eyes to think of an image of a smiling Arthur and slid off the branch. Surprisingly enough, he stayed floating and he corrected himself as he opened his eyes.

"See?" Gilbert smirked. "You're flying already."

"Not for long," Alfred stated. Gilbert flew up next to him.

"I sort of regret coming to see if you were alright," Gilbert sighed. "My awesomeness it outshining you again, but this time it's by a lot."

"Not really that big of a deal right now," Alfred sighed and started flying to the closest section of the beach. Once they got there, it wouldn't be too hard to find Arthur.

"It should be," Gilbert smirked, following him close behind.

"I don't know if you're trying to cheer me up or just be narcissistic," Alfred stated, glancing back at him.

"Why can't I try doing both?" Gilbert asked.

"Because you actually being nice is unheard of?" Alfred asked, a very small smirk making it's way onto his face.

"There you go!" Gilbert cheered happily, doing a little loop in the air. "Just keep up a good attitude and you'll never be steered wrong."

"Guess I can just hope for the best," Alfred sighed and they emerged out of the trees. Alfred looked to the left first, but found nothing so he turned to the right. There, he could see a faint light of a fire, which would probably be the group at the beach, so he flew in that direction. He landed just before the group and he could hear Gilbert just behind him.

Arthur was sitting cross-legged with his arms crossed over his chest and he glared out at the ocean. Francis was asleep. And Antonio seemed to be trying to talk to Arthur, who definitely was not listening.

"Ready when you are," Alfred tried to keep his voice sounding happy, even though it hurt to see Arthur's glare turned to him.

"Finally," Arthur sighed and quickly stood up. "I'm getting tired of this blasted place."

"Um, ouch?" Gilbert laughed slightly, going over to Francis to kick him in the face and, in result, waking him up.

"Why would you do that to my gorgeous face?" Francis demanded and Gilbert and Antonio started laughing.

"You sure you aren't gonna miss it here?" Alfred smirked.

"Absolutely not," Arthur snapped and held out his hand. "Now take me home."

"Blunt, aren't you?" Alfred sighed, trying to keep that smile on his face and took Arthur's hand. Arthur should still be able to fly, if not with a little help, so Alfred simply jumped up in the air. As he expected, Arthur hovered with him. "See you guys around," Alfred nodded to the other three and Gilbert nodded back while the other two looked to each other in confusion.

With that, Alfred flew towards the sky with Arthur silently next to him. It wasn't long before the scenery around them changed from a deserted island to the city of London. Just as Alfred expected, it was still nighttime in the real world. It was easy to find Arthur's neighborhood in the darkness, as he was used to going to his foster home, after all. The foster home Arthur would move away from in the morning.

It wasn't long in the silence before Alfred found the orphanage and helped Arthur land onto the windowsill.

"It's about time I'll be able to forget you," Arthur muttered, not even sparing Alfred a final glance.

"Goodbye, then," Alfred forced himself to smile wider. "I promise I won't bring you back again."

Arthur simply laid down onto his bed and seemed to be trying to fall asleep.

"Love you, too," Alfred sighed and turned to fly onto the ground. It was cold, which wasn't good with his thin clothing from the island, but it would probably last until he would be able to find his brother.

He looked up at the sky, finding that second star to the right as if trying to make sure he wouldn't forget it.

"So long, then," he smiled softly. "I had some good times."

* * *

**Bah, I'm sorry this is so short! But there's only so much you can do when you plan out these chapters to be longer than they really are... Whatever... one chapter left and I swear it gets happier. The next one is in Arthur's perspective and there will be a bit of a time skip, so I'm sorry for that.**

**I updated early because I had the time and I still feel bad about making you guys wait so long for the last one...**

**And I have a question for you guys! So, my friends and I are going to be making our own Pokemon comic with our own original characters and plotline and everything. That will be uploaded on DeviantArt, while I'll be uploading the written version at the same time. My question for you is; would you want to read it? It will probably my main thing for quite some time, probably a couple years, since it's so long already. I will be writing other things with it, but it will be my main worry. So please tell me if you would want to read it so I know it'll be at least somewhat liked. Depending on the reaction, I may give you the summary next week to see what everyone has to say about it.**

**And please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

Arthur sighed, leaning back in the chair and massaging his temples. It had been a couple months since he turned 18 and yet he still was hard pressed to get a job. Ever since that damned dream repeated itself, he had been able to get over it. He stopped seeing things, thankfully, and was fairly normal at this point. But because of that period where he was insane, no one would hire him.

Thankfully, during the first couple days of Arthur being on his own, he had ran into a man named Kiku, who was only a year older than him. They got along rather well and Kiku offered to give Arthur a place to stay until he could manage to get onto his feet. Kiku had a rather good job, as he was pretty smart, and had even tried to see if he could get Arthur a job, but it wasn't working.

Arthur was just about ready to move to some other city to find better luck. He felt horrible for making Kiku take care of him and he did as much around the apartment as possible, although for some reason Kiku wouldn't let him cook…

"No luck yet, Arthur-san?" Kiku asked. Arthur was sitting in the living room of the apartment and Kiku was in the kitchen, making something for dinner that was soon to come.

"No one can say I'm not trying," Arthur sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I know you will find work eventually," Kiku stated.

"Thanks for that," Arthur smiled slightly. "It's just a shame everyone in London thinks I'm insane."

"I rather liked hearing about your dream," Kiku stated. "It was very nice, the way you explained it."

"But it was just a dream and I need to get over it," Arthur sighed.

"Then why aren't you?" Kiku asked.

"I blame that blasted kid," Arthur grumbled. He tried to pretend that he didn't know the name of him anymore…Alfred. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't forget that little part of his dream. He did try to help him, after all.

"The way you described him, it made you seem like you loved him," Kiku stated and Arthur sputtered, feeling a blush creep onto his face.

"Wh-what?" Arthur stood up.

"You made it obvious," Kiku hid a small smile on his face.

"I-" Arthur was cut off by a knock at their door. As usual, Kiku was already close to the door before Arthur could even take a step, so he simply sat back down and tried to overcome his blush.

"Hello?" Kiku asked the person at the door.

"Hey," the voice said, sounding very nervous and Arthur froze. He knew that voice… "Um, I know this may sound a little weird, but I'm looking for an Arthur. I was told he lived here."

"Who told you this?" Kiku asked as Arthur slowly stood up and turned to the door.

"Feli," the voice chuckled. "You know him, right?"

"Hai, I know Feli-chan," Kiku nodded.

"So, then, could you tell me if Arthur lives here?" the voice asked. "I've been, uh, looking for him for quite a while."

"Can I ask your name?" Kiku asked as Arthur finally walked behind him and looked at the person on the other side of the doorway.

"I'm-"

"Alfred?" Arthur could hear his voice crack as Kiku turned to him. Alfred, who was standing at the door wearing normal clothes (which was odd since Arthur was used to seeing him in clothes from the island) and growing a huge smile.

"Hey, Artie," Alfred smiled.

"Would this be that boy from your dream?" Kiku asked.

"Y-Yes…" Arthur nodded, still in shock. "How did you…how did you get here?"

"I never left when I dropped you off that last time," Alfred smiled.

"I shall give you two your space," Kiku quickly turned and left to go into the only real room in the apartment.

"Y-You're real?" Arthur muttered.

"Well, yeah," Alfred laughed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "And I've been trying to find you for a while. So could I get a hug before you try to slap me like I know you will?"

"You…you…" before Arthur could stop himself, he lurched Alfred into a hug and the taller started laughing. "You bloody fool! How could you let me think you were a dream?!"

"You seemed pretty sure that I was," Alfred chuckled, hugging him back.

"Why didn't you just do this before?" Arthur muttered.

"Well, before," Alfred said, "you only saw me as an illusion and after you came back the second time, it took quite a lot of time for me to find you. Then I found Feli, so then it was pretty easy."

"So, everyone," Arthur looked up at him, "Neverland, the fairies, and the mermaids…they were all real?"

"As real as I am," Alfred smiled.

"I'm sorry I was such an arse," Arthur muttered, burying his face in Alfred's chest.

"Hey," Alfred cupped Arthur's chin, making him look into Alfred's eyes. "If I hated you, would I go through all the trouble to find you?"

"But-"

"I still love you," Alfred smiled.

"I-I…" Arthur muttered, that blush coming back. "I love you, too."

"Sweet," Alfred laughed. "Otherwise this would have been really awkward."

"You bloody fool," Arthur chuckled, shaking his head. Alfred quickly leaned down slightly to capture Arthur's mouth into a kiss. Arthur couldn't help but to close his eyes and kiss back. It was exactly like he remembered it being on Neverland. It was amazing to know that he wasn't in love with a dream.

"So I have a quick question," Alfred asked after they pulled apart.

"Yes?" Arthur asked.

"Do you know a Ludwig?" Alfred asked. "'Cause Gil just came back down and apparently they moved. Which I think is really stupid, considering they still have a missing son-"

"Alfred?" Arthur stopped him.

"Yeah?" Alfred asked.

"Do you ever shut up?" Arthur laughed.

"Just 'cause I'm 18 doesn't mean I'm an adult, jeez," Alfred smirked.

"You are 18 now, too?" Arthur asked.

"'Course," Alfred nodded. "You think you were the only one that left the day before your birthday?"

"I hate to intrude," Kiku stated, coming out of the room, "but I was just making dinner and I am afraid it will burn if we do not eat soon."

"Hey, dude, could I stay for dinner?" Alfred asked.

"Alfred!" Arthur snapped. "You can't just go into someone's home who you haven't even met yet and ask for dinner!"

"I do not mind," Kiku stated.

"See?" Alfred smiled and walked further into the apartment and Arthur had to close the door behind him. "Everyone likes me."

"Sure, everyone," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Well you do, so that means I've gotten the hardest person down," Alfred smirked.

"So you are the dream man I have heard so much about?" Kiku asked before Arthur could yell something at Alfred.

"So you talk about me?" Alfred smirked at Arthur. "Yeah, the name's Alfred. I've been gone for quite a while…you know, in Arthur's dreams, so I'm staying with my brother until I can get onto my feet."

"It is nice to meet you, Alfred-san," Kiku nodded.

"San?" Alfred asked. "What's that?"

"It's an honorific, you twat," Arthur rolled his eyes. "It's a sign of respect."

"Huh, cool," Alfred smiled.

"Shall we sit down to eat?" Kiku asked.

"Sure!" Alfred grabbed onto Arthur's wrist and dragged him to the small table next to the kitchen.

"Alfred," Arthur huffed, but sat down anyway. "You are hopeless."

"I think I'm perfect just the way I am," Alfred teased.

"Yes, yes, whatever makes you happy," Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Well…you make me happy," Alfred smiled and Arthur blushed yet again.

"Interesting," Kiku stated. "I will have to write about this."

* * *

**It kind of sucks, I had a plan for this ending and it was really cute and sweet, but then it died as I tried to write it... Bah, whatever, it was sort of cute and now I'm done! Thirteen weeks in the making with three other stories stealing my attention and I was able to finish it! Thanks to everyone who reviewed and followed! It's very much appreciated!**

**So, farewell and thank you.**

**I do not own Hetalia.**


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